


Teamwork

by Kenyancougar



Series: Abducted [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-01
Updated: 2015-03-19
Packaged: 2018-03-04 16:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 50
Words: 102,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3074768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kenyancougar/pseuds/Kenyancougar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the sequel to Abducted. (I strongly suggest reading that first if you have not already). An old acquaintance of Sara and Oliver has come to town and is looking for revenge. Will Oliver, Team Arrow and the rest of the group be safe? (Does contain Olicity!) Also contains mentions of torture so enter at your own risk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Mic RiddyBanon is my wonderful Beta and this all would not be as amazing without her! Thank you friend!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing Arrow. It all belongs to the CW!

**Chapter 1: The Mission**

The Team moved to Felicity and her computers as one and seemed to know that a mission was imminent. Everyone else was surprised at what Felicity had been able to find and were curious to see what the Team was going to do with the information.

Oliver looked up and made eye contact with each member of his Team, asking each one if they were ready to get back into the fight after their few days off. They all responded with a simple look that yes, they were ready to get back to work. Oliver gave a small shake of his head.

"Would you guys like to see Team Arrow in action?" Oliver asked turning to the non Team members, knowing what the answer was going to be. As everyone responded with a yes he turned to grab his bow from the case before turning to his Team.

"Okay Team Arrow, suit up!"

* * *

Oliver and Sara moved quickly to change into their leather suits while Roy grabbed his mask, bow and quiver **.** Diggle moved to his weapons case and gathered the ammo that he would need before going over to grab the earpieces that he and Roy would use for all their communication while they were in the field from Felicity.

In a matter of only a couple minutes Oliver and Sara were suited up and were preparing their weapons and earpieces too. As Oliver gathered his arrows and loaded his quiver he talked to Felicity about where they were headed.

"What are we looking at Felicity?" Oliver asked.

"It's an old abandoned bank, about six blocks from here. Looks like they have about twenty men all heavily armed. There is a skylight as well as two back doors. The front of the building has several large glass windows so you might not want to go in that way." Felicity said with a smile on her face and a laugh in her voice. She knew they never used the front door but couldn't keep from saying it anyway, besides it would show everyone else how the Team really works. They never take the easy way. "I'm working on getting us access to all the cameras in the area."

"Diggle, you and Roy take the back entrances. Sara, you and I will enter through the skylight." Oliver said as he strapped on his quiver **.**  He walked over to Felicity and he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Felicity, you guide us in."

"Of course, what else would I do?" Felicity responded as she looked to Oliver with a smile on her face. "Please be careful. Come back to me." She said quietly as she laid her hand on top of the hand that he had already placed on her shoulder and she locked eyes with his.

"I'll always come back to you Felicity." Oliver replied quietly before planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Let's go stop some arms dealers." He said to the rest of the Team as he headed for the stairs.

"Oliver!" Moira called as Oliver reached the bottom of the stairs. Oliver turned to her with a look of curiosity. "Be careful. Please."

"We'll be back soon Mom." Oliver replied, not willing to commit to what she was asking. His job was dangerous and being careful wasn't always an option.

Walter, Moira, Laurel, Lance, and Thea looked after the Team as they left. They were all a bit worried for Oliver who was still healing from the injuries from Malcolm's torture of him and they didn't want him to be further injured, however they also knew that he had a job to do.

"You guys can pull up a chair and watch the Team if you want. I have visuals on the cameras in the area and audio through the earpieces that each one of them is using." Felicity said to the group as she was working away on her computers.

The group all pulled up chairs around Felicity and her computers. She wasn't used to having people watch her while she worked like this, but she knew that it would do everyone good to see how the Team worked and just how good they really were.

"Oliver and Sara took their bikes while Diggle and Roy took the car. They will all get there approximately the same time." Felicity informed the group as she was watching the Team make their way to the target building on the street cameras.

"How are you keeping track of them?" Moira asked, she was in awe at the fact that they had a video feed of not only the bank but apparently the route there as well.

"She's using the traffic cameras along the route that they are taking." Lance provided having recognized some of the angles that they were seeing. "Smart woman." He didn't miss the smile that crossed Felicity's face at those words.

"Oliver, Sara, turn right at the next light. It will bring you to the taller building right next to the bank and you can use that to get to the roof of the bank. Digg, go to the next block. There is a parking garage right across from the back of the bank that you can hide the car in." Felicity said to the Team, guiding them to where they needed to go.

"Got it." Diggle replied over the comms.

"They can hear you? How can we hear them?" Thea asked, a bit confused as to how Oliver and the Team could hear Felicity and they could hear the Team since she obviously wasn't on the phone with anyone.

"We all wear earpieces that are communication devices. I have them on speaker so that we all can hear what they are saying. The mic however has been set up so that they can hear only me so that they don't get distracted by any background noises on this end. Concentration is key in a mission." Felicity stated after muting her mic. The last thing the Team needed was to be distracted by the conversation in the lair when they were about to be dealing with twenty armed men with such a large amount of weapons.

"Felicity, we're here." They all heard Oliver say as they saw him pulling up on the video feed. They watched as Oliver and Sara parked their bikes and Oliver removed his helmet and pulled up his hood. They all watched in awe as Oliver and Sara turned to the fire escape, which started about seven feet off the ground, on the building next to the bank making their way up to the roof. They lost sight of them almost instantly when they got off of street level.

"How are they going to get over to the roof of the bank now?" Laurel asked condescendingly. "It's not like there is a bridge or a catwalk or anything that they can get across on is there?"

"Oliver, we're in position at the back door. Two guards have been taken care of." They heard as Diggle informed Oliver that he and Roy were in position and ready to go.

"Hold there until we are in place. We'll breach the building on my signal." Oliver replied, clearly focused on the mission.

"Diggle, Roy, there are two armed men behind each of those back doors so be careful when you go in." Felicity informed them. Suddenly everyone in the foundry heard what sounded like two bodies falling.

"What was that?" Lanced asked, worry evident in his voice. He was clearly worried for Sara, even if he did know that she could take care of herself. He didn't want his baby girl to be hurt.

"Oliver, are you guys okay?" Felicity asked, trying not to sound worried over the comms.

"Fine, we just jumped across to the roof of the bank. Where's the best place to drop in?" Oliver explained, knowing why she had asked as she would have known exactly what they had done, but the others would not. Felicity smiled as she heard numerous gasps of surprise from the group as they had not been expecting that answer.

"The main lobby of the bank is where most of the men are located. You need to move about ten feet to the north from your current position." Felicity told him, much to the surprise of everyone watching and listening in the foundry.

"How do you know exactly how far they have to move to be in the right position?" Thea asked curiously.

"They all have a tracker on them so that we know exactly where they are at all times." Felicity said as she enlarged one of the maps on her screen that had four red dots. "These red dots show where each member of the team is." She explained.

"Interesting." Lance said thoughtfully. Apparently the Team was very serious about their missions and they took more precautions that he had been aware of.

"Okay Felicity we are in position." Oliver said as he was clearly preparing to enter the bank. "Digg, Roy, you ready?"

"Ready!" Both Diggle and Roy responded in unison.

"Oliver wait!" Sara said suddenly and the urgency was clear in her voice.

"What is it Oliver?" Felicity asked, suddenly concerned. She became even more worried when she heard Oliver's reply.

"Felicity, there are lasers just under the glass here on the roof. It looks like if we break the lasers then the whole roof is rigged to blow."

 


	2. The Hacker

Felicity heard the multiple gasps behind her as everyone heard Oliver's words through the comms.

"Oliver, whatever you do don't you  _dare_  break that glass until I have had time to hack the security system. Do you hear me?" Felicity told him over her earpiece. As soon as she heard the word lasers she started typing furiously on her computers.

"Felicity!" Oliver said, the demand in his voice evident to everyone. Moira was surprised at everything that she could hear Oliver say in that one name.

"Oliver, just shut up and give me a few minutes. I'm hacking the security system now to see if I can turn off the lasers so just let me work!" Felicity replied, getting a bit irritated. They knew better than to bother her when she was trying to hack a system.

Thea watched as Felicity brought up several different windows on her multiple monitors, typing away furiously on her keyboard.

"What are you doing Felicity?" Thea asked, genuinely curious about what Felicity could do here on her computers that Oliver couldn't do there where he was.

"I'm giving myself access to their security system so that I can disable the lasers that trigger the explosives on the roof of the bank." Felicity said calmly as she continued to type away. "If I can just get past this… Wait! What are you doing?"

Thea watched in awe as Felicity began typing even faster at her computers. She didn't know that it was physically possible for hands to move that quickly.

"Felicity, what's going on?" Oliver asked again, he was clearly getting impatient.  _He never was the most patient person._  Moira thought as she recognized the tone of Oliver's voice.

"Just a little hitch. Someone is trying to keep me out. Don't worry, it's not going to work, I just have to find a way around him." Felicity said quickly as she continued to work away. "Oh, he's good."

"Felicity." Lance laughed as he heard Oliver's impatient tone yet again. He thought that it was funny that the Arrow was so incredibly impatient.

"Oliver!" Felicity replied, clearly getting irritated that he continued to bother her. Moira thought it interesting that they seemed to have very intense conversations simply by saying each other's names.  **  
**

"Oliver, man, let her do her work." Diggle said to his partner. He knew that if Oliver didn't leave her alone soon then they weren't going to get into this bank any time tonight.

"Is he always this impatient?" Laurel asked, getting a kick out of Oliver and Felicity arguing where everyone could hear them.  _Maybe they don't get along as well as everyone thinks that they do. Maybe I do_ _still have a chance with Ollie._

"I'm almost there. This guy is good, but not as good as me." Felicity said as she continued to type at furiously. "He keeps trying to kick me out of the system, but it's not going to work. By the way, I'm making it look like some kid out of China is just being nosey so that they don't actually know you're there."

Lance couldn't help but laugh at that comment. He had been informed about the many times the Police computers had been hacked. He had even questioned Felicity on her hacking abilities. She really didn't like that word though he remembered. She viewed it as simply borrowing information. Lance couldn't help but be impressed by her abilities though now that he was seeing it firsthand.  _If this is how she keeps Sara and the Team safe then I won't ever say another word about it!_

"Yes!" Felicity exclaimed excitedly as she pumped her fist in the air. Everyone in the lair jumped as they were not expecting her to do that as they heard Diggle give a small chuckle over the speaker.

"Ok guys, you're good to go. The lasers are disabled." Felicity addressed the Team. She had known that they were waiting for her to give the all clear signal and that they would be entering the bank at any moment. She quickly brought up all the surveillance cameras in and around the bank so that she could keep close tabs on the Team.

"Diggle, Roy, be prepared to breach on my command." Oliver stated with authority. It was clear to everyone in the lair that when in the field Oliver was definitely the one that called the shots.

"Three, Two, One, GO!" Oliver said as everyone heard the crash of breaking glass. They all looked to the monitors and watched as Oliver lowered himself to the floor of the bank with one of his grappling arrows and Sara lowered herself via a long piece of black silk like something out of the Circ du Soleil. At the same time Roy and Diggle made their way in the back doors quickly taking out the four guards that were there.  _ **  
**_

"We're in. On our way through the back hall." Diggle stated as everyone watched him and Roy meet up and quickly make their way down the hall towards the lobby of the bank.

Everyone watched the screens in front of them intently. They could see that the men at the bank had heard and seen Oliver and Sara enter and were grabbing weapons in order to defend themselves.

"Those are machine guns." Lance said, clearly worried as he pointed to the corner of Felicity's screen. "Those are some massive guns, they need to make sure they stay out of the way of those two bad boys."

"Oliver, there are two machine guns, one on each side of the lobby. You need to make sure you take those out first." Felicity said as she pulled up an enhanced view of the weapons and running a search on them. "Oliver, those are Australian Maximi machine guns. They were just recently released to the Australian Army. They are fully automatic 7.62 millimeter guns that can fire up to 710 rounds per minute and have a range of 600 meters." Felicity was unable to hide the worry in her voice as she gave the Team the details of the weapons.

"Got it Felicity." Oliver replied, the group in the lair was surprised that he didn't even sound the least bit worried about the weapons. "Sara, you draw their fire, I'll take them out with an explosive."  _ **  
**_

"Don't use my sister as bait you idiot!" Laurel yelled. There was no way on earth she was going to let Oliver use her sister as bait just so that he could show off.

"Laurel!" Felicity turned and yelled at the brunette. "Sara is not being used as bait. She is fast and agile and is more than capable of avoiding those bullets. If there is no distraction then there is no way that Oliver can take out those machine guns which means the entire Team is in danger. Oliver would not put her life in danger on purpose."

Laurel didn't know how to respond to Felicity's words. She didn't want her sister to have to be put in that kind of danger and face the possibility of her being injured.

"I'm ready when you are Oliver." Sara replied over the comms. The group could see that Oliver had moved to a higher position and that Sara was preparing to draw the attention of the machine gun operators. "Diggle, Roy, stay back until these guns are dealt with." Sara said to the rest of the Team. It was clear that they would not put anyone unnecessarily at risk.

"Sara, Go!" Oliver said as he nocked an explosive arrow, preparing to fire at the first machine gun.

The group in the lair watched the video feed with bated breath as Sara move around the lobby of the bank, not only avoiding the fire of the machine guns but also taking out men as she went. On another camera view they watched as Oliver quickly fired two arrows, one to each gun that hit their mark dead on and immediately both guns went up in flames.

"I have one of their radios." Diggle stated as he and Roy were making their way through the lobby. "They are trying to call for reinforcements. Felicity…"

"Got it. I've got a lock on their signal. I'm jamming the frequency right now. They couldn't have gotten much out before we caught it." Felicity said, her hands not slowing for a moment nor her eyes leaving the video feeds in front of her. It was obvious to Moira that being on this end of the missions was just as hard as being the ones out in the field.  _She has to sit here and watch as the Team goes in to dangerous situations all the time and yet she is still here. She must be_ really  _devoted to this Team to have been able to stick around this long._ Moira thought, having gained a new level of respect for the IT woman. She turned to look at Walter who had a smile on his face. It was obvious that he wasn't surprised at her abilities and Moira remembered that Walter had made use of Felicity's skills a few times as well.

They all watched closely as an all-out battle ensued. Roy and Diggle were making their way through the Lobby of the bank from the back, incapacitating as many men as they could on the way. Oliver and Sara were taking out the men that were gathered around the weapons. They could not believe how quickly and effectively the Team was working together without even speaking to each other.

As the battle was nearing an end they all watched as one of the men launched a grenade towards Oliver and Sara. Oliver was able to blow up the grenade mid flight with a perfectly aimed explosive arrow however the force of the explosion threw both he and Sara to the ground. As Oliver started to get up he realized that his bow had been sent across the floor, however Sara's bo staff was right in front of him. He quickly picked up her staff and began engaged the remaining men. Sara had been sent further back from Oliver by the blast and had landed right next to his bow. She in turn managed to shoot one of the men who was coming up behind Oliver effectively ending the fight.

"I didn't know she could shoot a bow!" Lance stated, in awe of the multiple abilities that his daughter had.

"I didn't know Oliver knew how to use that stick." Walter stated, also in awe of how they both were so easily able to use each other's weapons of choice.

"They each know how to use the other's weapons. They also train that way at times, so that if this happens they are well prepared to deal with the situation." Felicity supplied in answer to the comments. She wanted them to know that Team Arrow was a well-oiled machine and was well prepared for anything that might come their way.  _ **  
**_

"Felicity, is there anyone else in the building?" Oliver asked, clearly wanting to make sure that all the threats were neutralized before the Team relaxed at all.

"The building is now clear." Felicity replied as she looked over all the cameras one last time. The relief was evident in her voice.

"These are F88S-A2 Austeyrs." Diggle stated as he pulled a rifle from one of the crates of weapons in the room. "They are military grade rifles with 407mm barrels. Light but effective. They are also Australian Army issue." _ **  
**_

"Oliver, you guys need to get out of there. SCPD is on the way, someone called in the gunshots." Felicity said, letting the Team know that it was time to go.

"Digg, you take one of these back with you. We need to see exactly where it came from." Oliver told his teammate right before Diggle and Roy headed towards the back door and the car to head back to the lair.

"Oliver, they are two blocks away! Get out of there." Felicity told them, the urgency clear in her voice.

Oliver nocked a grappling arrow and shot it towards the roof. He and Sara escaped back onto the roof of the bank as the SCPD officers stormed into the bank.  _ **  
**_

"We're on our way back Felicity." Sara informed her as she and Oliver made their way back to their bikes. "Oh, and Felicity, you might want to get the med kit out."

"Why?" Felicity demanded, even though she was pretty sure she knew the answer.

"Because Oliver's been shot." 


	3. Stitches

"Ollie's been shot?" Thea asked, clearly concerned for her brother. 

"Oliver?" Felicity asked, clearly worried for him.

"I'm fine, it's just a graze." Oliver replied, hoping that that answer would suffice until he got back to the lair. "Don't worry Felicity. We'll be back in a few minutes."

"What can we do to be of assistance?" Walter asked as he walked up to Felicity and placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to offer some support and comfort to the blonde IT tech. "What will he need?"

"Um…. He will need a bowl of clean water, some bandages, and the suture kit. Oh, and the forceps as well." She responded. It was difficult to think clearly when she was worried about Oliver now that the mission was over.

"It's probably all in the medical area." Moira stated, thankful that they now had something to do while they were waiting for the Team to get back to the lair.  _I wonder how badly he is hurt. I can't believe that he is injured again already, so soon after we escaped from Malcolm. Will my boy ever catch a break?_ She thought as she helped Walter locate the items that would be needed and placed them on the medical table.

Everyone turned suddenly when the door at the top of the lair opened and they heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Oliver?" Thea called, hoping her brother was finally back and that he really was fine like he said. She couldn't help the feeling of disappointment when she realized that it was Roy and Diggle who had returned to the lair. "Where's Oliver?" She asked the men.

"Right here." Oliver said from the top of the stairs before either Roy or Diggle could answer. All eyes turned at the sounds of his voice. As soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs Laurel started to walk his direction to see if he was okay. Before she even took two steps across the floor there was a blur of blonde that rushed past her.

Felicity ran to Oliver. She had to see for herself that it was just a graze, had to know how seriously he was injured, needed to touch him to remind herself that he really was there, alive and okay.

"Oliver." Felicity said simply, allowing him to hear all the worry and relief that she felt at that moment. He placed a hand on her shoulder as she looked him over, trying to see where and how badly he was hurt. "Where are you hurt? How bad?"

"Like I said, it's really just a graze. Here on my arm." Oliver replied as he pointed to his right arm where there was a bullet hole in his leather. It's nothing that a couple of stitches won't fix.

"We have the medical supplies ready. Let's get you patched up." Felicity said as she led him back over to the medical area while maintaining physical contact with him at all times.

Laurel walked right behind Felicity and Oliver back to the medical area. She wanted to see for herself that he really was okay but the obsessed blonde wouldn't move out of her way.  _This girl really needs to give it a rest. She will never be Oliver's type_. She thought as she noticed that Felicity kept a hand on his arm the whole time.  _ **  
**_

"Okay guys, as much as I appreciate your concern you need to give me some space. Just take a step back or have a seat and let me deal with this please." Oliver said, trying to remain calm. The group had closed in around him and Felicity and he felt like he was being smothered. _I just need some space to breathe_ _for a minute._ He thought as thankfully everyone moved back a bit, all except Laurel.

"Do you want Sara or me to take care of that for you?" Diggle asked. He knew that Oliver would probably decline the offer, however he wanted his partner to remember that there were people here to help him if and when he needed it.

"No, but thank you Diggle. It really is only a small wound and I can easily handle it myself." Oliver replied, thankful that his partner had not pushed the issue. "Laurel would you please just step back a bit and give me some room to work." He asked as he noticed Laurel was trying to move in closer again. He appreciated the concern but really the only person he wanted that close was Felicity.

"Why is it she gets to be so close to you but you're making us all move back? Don't you think that's a bit unfair? I mean, she's not even family." Laurel said, getting increasingly agitated.

Felicity tried to ignore Laurel's comments as she carefully helped Oliver remove his jacket, being careful to avoid irritating his injury any further. As she worked it was obvious that it was not just a graze and the Oliver really would have to pull a bullet out as well as put in some stitches.

"That is  _not_  a graze mister!" Felicity said, trying to sound irritated but utterly failing. She was relieved that it wasn't as bad as she had first thought but was still upset that he had been shot – again.

"Oliver, should you  _really_  be taking care of your own bullet wound? Do you even know how?" Laurel said, almost shouting as she tried to get closer to Oliver yet again.

"Laurel." Roy called as he walked up to the brunette. As much as he would love to see her get punched again he was afraid that this time it would be Oliver doing it instead of Felicity.  _If that happens that she will need to go to a hospital._  He thought as he tried to hide the grin that was threatening to appear. He gently laid a hand on her arm trying to draw her attention. "Laurel, why don't we come over here? I want to show you something." _ **  
**_

"No Roy! I am not moving an inch until Oliver tells me why blondie gets to be right next to him the whole time when his family is forced to stand across the room as he talks about digging a bullet out of his own arm!" Laurel almost yelled. She was sick and tired of these people getting in the way of the people who were closest to Oliver.

"Laurel!" Oliver forcefully stated as he rose to his feet. He walked up right in front of Laurel and put his full height and stature to use as he spoke angrily. "You have no right to come in here, into my lair, my  _home,_  and talk to _anyone_  in that tone of voice. My Team and I work hard to keep this city safe, including you. So don't you dare insult one of my teammates again! Felicity can do  _so_  much more than you can imagine, including taking care of a bullet wound as you have already seen, so don't you  _dare_  insult her  _ever_  again. Do you understand me?"

"I… Ollie…." Laurel stammered. She was completely taken aback by the fact that Oliver had so forcefully defended Felicity. She felt like she was standing in front of an angry Arrow. She slowly looked away and nodded her head to show that she had clearly gotten the message. "I think it's a bit crowded. I'm going to go home now. Call me if you need anything." She said as she looked to her Dad on her way towards the door.

"Laurel." Sara said, she wanted to be sure that her sister was going to be okay. She wasn't too sympathetic though as she had seen this coming and she knew that Laurel had been warned by Roy already.  _One simply does not get between the Arrow and his girl Friday._ _ **  
**_

"I'm fine Sara, I'm just going to go home and get some rest. It's been a pretty stressful week." Laurel said as she placed a hand on Sara's shoulder as she spoke. She gave her sister a small smile as she left Verdant.

Oliver turned and walked back to the medical table where he pulled up a stool and prepared to take care of his bullet wound. He was facing the rest of the group and saw when they finally quit staring after Laurel and turned to watch him and Felicity instead. After Felicity carefully helped him pull off his shirt he turned and gave her a small smile before turning to dig the bullet out of his arm. She returned the smile and tried not to look at the blood coming from his wound as he continued to work.

"Oliver, is there anything I can do to help you?" Felicity asked quietly, wanting to help but also not wanting to get in his way.

"Yes, can you hand me the bandages." Oliver asked her quietly as he was pulling the bullet out of his arm. Felicity passed them to him and he quickly held them to the wound in his arm. "Can you hold this for a minute please?" She nodded her head in agreement and placed her hand over the bandages. He was then able to prepare the needle so he could put in the stitches that were needed.

After a couple of minutes of watching Oliver quietly stitch his arm up Felicity was relieved when he stated that he was done. She never was fond of blood and watching Oliver patch himself up was her least favorite thing to do. She gave Oliver a small smile as he stood and put a hand on her cheek.

"Thank you for everything tonight. Without you we never would have even gotten close to stopping those arms dealers." Oliver stated quietly, gratitude and an emotion that Felicity couldn't quite name were evident in his eyes. As a smile spread across his face he said, "You truly are remarkable Felicity!"

"Thank you for remarking on it!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – Searches** **_  
_ **

Moira couldn't believe that her son had just stood up to Laurel like he had. Oh, she had known that Oliver had feelings for Felicity, she just didn't think he would defend her in quite that way. The thought brought a smile to her face.  _I hope they realize one day soon just how much they mean to each other._  She thought as she watched the two of them.

Lance had to keep his jaw from hitting the floor after Oliver's words to Laurel. He knew his daughter had been pushing things recently but he didn't realize just how much she was getting under Oliver's skin.  _I wonder just how close he and Felicity are._ He thought as he had watched the two of them sew up Oliver's arm.  _How is it that he can not only sew up his own bullet wounds,_ _but_ _that he_ _does it without a sound? Not to mention that he went through_ _all_ _the torture from Malcolm silently as well. He's going to have to teach me his tricks._

Walter watched as Oliver and Felicity exchanged a few quiet words. He heard Oliver call her remarkable and knew that the younger man was right.  _She really is a remarkable woman. I don't know anyone else that could have done what she did tonight. The Team really is lucky to have her on board._  He watched as they started to walk towards the computer and the rest of the Team walked towards them. He figured that he was about to see more of how well this Team works together and he felt honored that they had allowed them this small glimpse into their lives as the protectors of Starling City.

Diggle had done everything that he could think of to keep himself from laughing when Oliver stood up to Laurel. He knew it would eventually come and figured that Oliver's injuries could have played a small part in when it happened. No matter, he had thought it was hilarious and simply hoped that Laurel had learned her lesson.

"Oliver, you're back is bleeding again." Lance commented, concerned yet again for Oliver. He had watched as Oliver had battled the weapons dealers and knew that it could not have been good for his injuries. Then he had watched as the younger man had landed hard on his back when the grenade exploded.  _It's no wonder his back is bleeding again._

"What!" Thea exclaimed. She could not believe everything that had happened to Oliver. "You not only got shot but your back is busted up again? Why didn't you say anything?" She asked, clearly not understanding why that hadn't been one of the first things Oliver mentioned when he got back.

"It is? I didn't even notice." Oliver said nonchalantly as he looked to Sara and Diggle who were standing behind him.

"The Detective is right Oliver. Some of the stitches have come out again and you are bleeding some." Diggle stated, confirming what Lance had said.

"Here, have a seat and I'll take care of it." Sara said, pointing back to the stool the he had just vacated.

"Why can't I just sit over here?" Oliver asked, referring to the chair next to Felicity who was now sitting back at her computers.

Moira couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she listened to the exchange. Oliver was obviously not happy about not being able to sit next to Felicity right now and it was evident in the look on his face.  _He looks jealous and irritated all at the same time. Almost like he did that Christmas when he was barely a teenager and didn't get the motorcycle that he wanted._

"Oliver, quit acting like a five year old who is not getting his way! Felicity needs to work at her computers and I need to fix up your back, again." Sara said, trying to keep from laughing. He really was acting like a child.  _Why won't they just admit that they love each other and make this easier on everyone else?_ _Especially now that they've kissed already!_  She thought right before she noticed John's face which pretty much said he was thinking the same thing.

"Fine. Felicity, do we have any leads on who was shipping in the weapons?" Oliver asked as he reluctantly sat back down in the medical bay so Sara could fix his back again.

"I'm running facial recognition on everyone who was in the bank right now then will see if they have any connections." Felicity said as she typed away at her computers. "I'm also running the serial number from the F88S-A2 Austeyr that Diggle brought back. I should have an answer about that in a minute."

"Didn't you say those weapons were Australian?" Lance asked. He remembered hearing a comment to that affect during the mission. "Who would have access to something like that?"

"Yes Detective, they are Australian weapons. Looks like the rifles came from Simpson Barracks in Melbourne." Felicity replied, as she pulled up some news reports from Victoria, Australia. "It would appear that they've had several cases of the rifles that had been shiped there but that never made it. They suspect that the convoy was hijacked."

"Do they have any suspects?" Oliver asked as he stood and walked towards the computers.

"None yet, they are still trying to figure out exactly what happened." Felicity replied as she looked to Oliver to make sure he was still doing okay. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Oliver replied, not missing the look of irritation on Felicity's face when he said it.

"Oliver, sweetheart. It looks like you guys still have work to do tonight and we don't want to be in the way so Walter and I are going to go back to the mansion and get some rest okay." Moira said as she walked over to her son, placing a hand on his uninjured shoulder. "You let us know if you need anything at all. No matter what the time you can call us okay?" She wanted to make sure that Oliver, and the Team, knew that she and Walter would help them in any way that they could.

"Thank you Mom." Oliver said as he pulled her into a hug. "You guys get some rest and we'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight Oliver." Walter said as he shook Oliver's hand. He knew his stepson had been through so much and was happy to finally be able to help in some way. Even if it meant leaving the Team in peace.

"I'm going to head out too Ollie." Thea said as she carefully gave Oliver a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I love you!"

"I love you too Speedy. Have a good night." Oliver said as he returned the hug. He watched as his family walked up the stairs and left Verdant.  _At lease I don't have to lie to them anymore._  He thought with relief. That was the one part of being the Arrow that he disliked the most, lying to those he cared about.

"Is there anything I can do to help you guys?" Lance asked once the lair had emptied out. He was exhausted after the events of the last several days and simply wanted some rest. However, he didn't want to leave if there was still something that he could do to help.

"You can see what information the SCPD has gotten from the men they took into custody at the bank." Oliver said, turning to Lance. He was thankful that the Detective was willing to help them some more despite the fact that he was exhausted. "We need to know if they have any information on who sent them the weapons, if another load of weapons are coming, and anywhere else they may have weapons stored."

"I'll see what I can find out for you." Lance responded as he nodded to the group. "I assume I can reach you at your normal numbers?"

"Yes, I have my Arrow phone on me at all times and my personal phone is on me as long as I'm not in the field." Oliver told the detective.

"I'll go by the precinct tonight and see what I can find out." Lance said on his way to the stairs. "I'll call you and let you know as soon as I get any information."

"Thank you Detective." Felicity said with a smile. She was thankful that the Detective was on their side again.

After Lance left the only ones left in the Lair were the Team. They all sat down around Felicity and her computers as she ran searches on the men that had been taken into custody, trying to find a link between them all.

"How are you really feeling Oliver?" Roy asked. He could see that Oliver was exhausted and knew he had to be in no small amount of pain from all of his injuries. "It's just us, you know you can tell us anything."

"I'm fine." Oliver began, when he saw everyone roll their eyes he decided to continue to explain. "My back does hurt no thanks to the fact that I landed pretty hard on it, but it will calm down in a bit. As for the rest, it will stop hurting in time. I really am fine though, I've been through a lot worse remember?"

"Oliver, you make sure you let us know if you need anything." Felicity said, giving him a look that said not to argue.

"I will, I promise." Oliver replied with a small smile.

"So, who could smuggle Australian Army weapons into Starling City, much less get their hands on them?" Roy asked curiously.

Oliver and Sara looked to each other, having a silent conversation.

_You know it could be him right?_

_It can't be_ _**.** He's_ _dead._ _**  
** _

_Are you sure?_

_I'm sure. I k_ _illed_ _him myself._

_What if by some miracle he survived?_

_If he survived then we need to be prepared for war._

"Would you two please stop with the silent arguments please?" Felicity said, clearly irritated that they were having a whole conversation and were not including the rest of the Team. "I mean, it's not nice to have a conversation where other people can't hear you." She was tired, her shoulder was hurting really bad right this second and she was having no luck on finding anything on these guys.

"Felicity, are you okay?" Oliver asked, noting the slight look of pain on her face.

"I'm fine!" Felicity spat back at him. "We were captured by Malcolm, tortured, he almost killed you right in front of me with that whip, we finally escaped but you had to kill him after you promised that you wouldn't kill in honor of Tommy, his son, then finally when we think we can finally get some peace some moron starts smuggling in Australian weapons and one almost kills you – again." She was getting more agitated the more that she talked and therefore didn't notice Diggle grabbing a pill bottle from the medical area.

"Felicity." Oliver stated quietly as he placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "Look at me! I really am fine. Yes, I'm in a bit of pain, but it's nothing that a little bit of rest tonight won't fix." He was trying to calm her down and help her realize that there really was no reason to worry. He looked up to Diggle as his partner came to stand next to them with a couple of pills and a water bottle in his hand.  _ **  
**_

"Here you go Felicity, see if these aspirins help you to feel better." Diggle said with a small smile as he handed her the pills and the water.

Sara looked to Diggle and silently asked  _those aren't really aspirins_ _are they?_

 _They are Felicity kind of aspirins_ _. She will feel much better once they kick in._  Diggle replied, just as silently with a bit of a smile.

"Come on Felicity, let's take you home." Oliver said, trying to coax her into getting some rest.

"No, I need to stay here and keep an eye on my babies in case they find something." Felicity replied.

"Okay, how about you go lay down on the cot then and we will come wake you up if they beep? You need to get some rest in order for that to heal." Oliver suggested, knowing that she was beyond exhausted.

"Fine, but you had better wake me up the second they beep at you or so help me I'll…. I'll….. Oh I don't know. Just don't touch my babies, got it?" Felicity threatened. Well, sort of threatened. They all knew not to touch her computers but they knew she would be extra irritable if she didn't get her sleep.

"Promise!" Oliver, Roy, and Sara all said at the same time. They knew better than to get anywhere near those computers. They watched as she silently walked over and lay down on the cot before quickly falling sound asleep.

"Why don't you guys go home and get some rest. I'll stay here and keep an eye on her and we will call you if something turns up." Oliver said quietly to Roy, Sara, and Diggle. He knew that his Team was tired and would need their sleep if they were going to be at their best on their next mission.

"You going to get some rest?" Diggle asked as they walked silently towards the stairs.

"I'll make sure she stays safe and gets the rest that she needs." Oliver answered. He knew that the chances of him sleeping well tonight were very slim. He was simply going to keep a watchful eye over Felicity in case she had another nightmare.

"Yeah, well, try and at least get a little rest okay." Sara said as she made her way up the stairs.

"See ya in the morning guys." Roy said as he too climbed the stairs to go home.

"You had better take good care of her man." Diggle said, knowing what could happen if Oliver fell asleep and had another nightmare.

"Don't worry Diggle, I won't let anything happen to her." Oliver replied, there was no way he was going to let something happen to  _his girl._

"Call me if you need anything." Diggle said, making it clear that it was not a suggestion.

"See you in the morning Digg." Oliver said as he walked slowly back towards where Felicity now lay on the cot.

Oliver sat on the edge of the cot next to Felicity and watched her as she slept. She looked so peaceful and Oliver cringed at the memory of her at the mercy of Malcolm. He was extremely thankful that they had gotten out when they had. He knew that she felt guilty for the whipping he received at the hands of Malcolm, even though it wasn't her fault.

He gently sat and stretched out on the cot next to Felicity's sleeping form and smiled to himself when she moved closer to him in her sleep, snuggling up to him as he put his arm around her. He smiled and gently placed a kiss on her head before leaning against the wall to close his eyes for just a minute.

"Sleep well Felicity. I'll keep you safe tonight."


	5. The Call

As Diggle drove to Verdant he knew that there were some long days ahead. As soon as Felicity's computers found something he knew that Oliver would want to chase down any leads that they had.

Diggle pulled into his parking spot at the lair and headed inside. He fully expected to see his Teammates back at work, Oliver would probably be on the Salmon ladder and Felicity would be at her computers. What he saw however was not at all what he had anticipated. Most of the lights were still off and they were still on the cot in the corner. It looked like they were still sleeping but Diggle knew better. Oliver would have heard him the moment he unlocked the door upstairs. He suspected that Oliver simply didn't want to wake up Felicity who seemed to still be asleep in his arms. His suspicion was confirmed when Oliver spoke.

"Morning Diggle." Oliver said quietly. He had heard the moment Diggle arrived, he simply didn't want to wake the sleeping woman in his arms. Felicity had slept peacefully last night and he didn't want to wake her before he needed to. He slowly maneuvered his way off the cot before heading over to Diggle.

"Morning. You two sleep okay?" Diggle asked, trying to hide the smile that was trying to show. It was obvious that Oliver had held Felicity all night.  _Maybe they will finally get around to admitting their feelings._  Diggle thought as he watched Oliver stretch.

"She slept all night with no nightmares." Oliver replied as he grabbed a bottle of water before turning back to look at Felicity who was still sleeping. "I think that means the answer to your question is yes, she slept well."

"Did you sleep at all?" Diggle asked the younger man, not missing the look of longing in his eyes as he looked at Felicity. He suspected that he knew the answer but wanted to ask anyway.

"I'm fine Diggle." Oliver responded. "I got at least an hour or two of sleep. I'm good."

"If you say so man." Diggle replied, clearly not believing that Oliver truly was  _fine_.

"Oliver?" Felicity asked sleepily from the cot in the corner. She was just waking up and Diggle smiled when he saw her reaching out, obviously looking for Oliver.

"I'm right here Felicity." Oliver said quietly as he quickly walked back over to where Felicity still lay. He sat on the cot next to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." Felicity responded as she sat up. "And don't say anything about me using that word because you use it all the time. I really am fine. My shoulder doesn't even hurt right now."

All three looked to the computers bay at the same time as they heard Felicity's text tone go off saying that she had a message. She slowly stood and stretched like a cat before making her way over to her computers and looking at her phone.  _Mom wants to know if you want breakfast. Raisa wants to send food. – Thea._

Felicity smiled as she looked up at Oliver who was now standing directly behind her, a hand on the back of her computer chair. "Raisa wants to send breakfast. Your mom wants to know if we're hungry." She informed Oliver.

"Sure, food sounds great." Oliver responded with a smile of his own.  _Leave it to Raisa to think of food._

Felicity quickly texted Thea back that yes, food sounded wonderful and to let her know when they arrive so that she could let them in the lair. They had decided previously that they didn't mind that the group knew where the lair was, or that they came down to visit on occasion. However, they had not given the code to the door to any non-Team members so that they could still control when and how often everyone came by. As Felicity was texting Thea back, Sara arrived in the lair with a duffle bag.

"Felicity, I hope you don't mind but I went by your apartment to bring you a fresh set of clothes and a few other necessities that I thought you might want." Sara said as she brought the bag over to Felicity.

"Oh! Thank you." Felicity replied, the gratitude evident in her voice. "I'm gonna go shower and put some clean clothes on. If Thea and your Mom get here before I'm done make sure you let them in. I'm starving!" She said to Oliver as she headed towards the bathroom to freshen up.

"Was she okay last night?" Sara asked Oliver. She didn't fail to notice the smile that Diggle was trying to hide behind Oliver's back.

"Well, if this is any indication they were snuggling when I came in this morning." Diggle said with a bit of a laugh. He busted out laughing when Oliver turned and pinned him with a glare clearly telling him to keep his mouth shut.

"Did Felicity get anything from her searches yet?" Sara asked, quickly changing the subject so that Oliver wouldn't beat the crap out of Diggle during their sparring today.

"No, nothing yet and that worries me." Oliver said, clearly getting a bit worried about their lack of information on the weapons dealers.

"You know, it's a really good possibility that it's….." Sara started to say before Oliver interrupted her.

"It  ** _cannot_**  be him! He  _is_  dead!" Oliver growled, clearly ending that discussion.

They were interrupted by Felicity's phone receiving a text.  _We're here. Let us in please? – Thea._

"Looks like breakfast is here. I'll go let them in." Sara said as she turned to the stairs. She knew that Oliver was irritated with her when she heard the clink of metal on the Salmon Ladder before she even reached the bottom of the stairs. As she was on her way up to Verdant her phone rang, her Dad was arriving with some news for the Team and wanted to make sure he could get in.  _At least everyone came at once so I only have to come up here one time!_  Sara thought with a bit of a laugh.

As they all came down the stairs Moira once again was simply in awe of everything her son had accomplished down here. Oliver had taken his Father's old foundry and turned it into a night club and then built his lair underneath that had anything and everything he could need for his job as the Arrow. He obviously took his job as protector of the city very seriously and it made her proud.

As Moira set the basket of food on the table she realized that she had not seen Oliver yet. As she turned towards the sound of clinking metal she realized that he was going up the Salmon Ladder again.  _He makes it look so effortless._

"Oliver, food's here." Felicity said as she pulled a chair up to the table. She smiled as she watched him silently drop to the floor and walk over, shirtless, yet again. She never got tired of seeing his abs on display.

As they sat down to eat Roy arrived to the lair.  _Trust him to come in just in time to eat._  Sara thought as she was trying not to laugh.

"So, Dad, you said you had some news from the precinct?" Sara asked, remembering that Lance had said he had news.

"Yeah." Lance replied, turning to the Team. "All the men were from the Glades, just looking for some extra cash. They were told that all they had to do was sell the weapons and they would get paid a percentage of the earnings. They said the man who hired them never showed his face and used a middle man for deliveries. They have no idea who really hired them." Lance explained.

"Did they give a description of the middle man?" Felicity asked. She knew that if she had a sketch to go off of then she could probably run down a lead from there.

"Yeah, have it right here." Lance said as he pulled the sketch out of his pocket and handed it to Felicity. She moved back to her computer to scan the image and start a search.

"While Felicity works on that we need to train." Oliver said as he rose from the table. "Thank you for the food Mom. Please make sure Raisa knows that it was greatly appreciated." Moira acknowledged his request with a nod as Oliver moved back to the Salmon Ladder.

Felicity smiled, she loved watching Oliver train and since she didn't have to do anything until her searches found something she was free to watch as much as she wanted. As Oliver made his way up the Salmon Ladder Roy and Diggle moved to the training dummies and began to warm up while Sara picked up her Bo staff and began to warm up with that as well. All the non-Team members watched as they began their training regime.

"Does he always do that?" Moira asked as she sat down in the chair next to Felicity.

"Do what?" Felicity replied, not realizing that the group had not seen exactly  _how_  they trained before. "Oh! You mean the inverted crunches from the structural beams?" She smiled at the look of shock on Moira's face as she watched Oliver working out, nodding in agreement. "Yep. All the time."

"Incredible." Lance stated as he too was shocked that Oliver could do that.  _There is no way I could do that even when I was at my best - and Oliver's still injured._

"Oliver, why don't you come down here and spar?" Sara asked, clearly challenging him.

Moira, Thea, and Lance watched in surprise as Oliver hung by one arm for a moment before silently and effortlessly dropping to the floor in front of them. He then picked up two metal batons on his way to the training mats. Oliver and Sara then began to spar, no holds barred, clearly putting all their effort into their training. The group watched on, impressed, as they battled, Sara with her Bo staff and Oliver with his batons. They had clearly done this numerous times as they each seemed to know what moves the other would make.

Thea was about to ask if they always trained this way when there was a sound from Felicity's computer which caused her to burst into action.

"Oh no!" Felicity cried as she began typing furiously on her computers.

"What's wrong Felicity?" Oliver asked as he stopped his sparing with Sara and headed her direction, clearly noting the worry in her voice and the speed at which she was working on her computer.

"Someone's trying to hack our system." Felicity responded, not even looking up at him.

The entire Team walked over to the bank of computers and Oliver placed one hand on the back of her chair and the other on the desk next to her as he leaned over to look at the screen.

"Can you stop them?" Oliver asked. He knew that Felicity had personally set up the entire system, including the security protocols, and that she would be extremely mad if someone hacked in.

"I'm trying, but they're really good!" Felicity said, becoming increasingly worried.

"You're better!" Oliver encouraged her.

"No. No!  _NO!"_ Felicity cried. She was clearly losing the battle this time and she was  _not_  happy about it.

Suddenly a picture appeared on all of Felicity's computer screens. The Team all leaned forward as an Australian voice filled the lair.

"Hello Kid." The Australian said with a smirk. Everyone visibly stiffened in response.

"Slade!" Oliver narrowed his eyes as he growled. "What do you want?"

"Five years ago I made you a promise. Do you remember?" Slade asked menacingly. "Well, I'm here to fulfill it. I'll see you around kid."


	6. Reactions

"So who really is this Slade Wilson guy anyway - and why's he got it in for you Oliver?" Lance asked. He hadn't missed the fact that both Oliver and Sara had reacted strongly to the Australian, and due to the fact that they don't normally respond that way, it had surprised him and worried him all at the same time. "And don't just tell me he's the one who abducted Thea – you're the one who told me it was him Oliver, so how'd you know?"

"He was my friend, my brother." Oliver responded quietly as he turned from the group and walked towards the training mats. He was furious. Furious because he had killed Slade, twice. Furious because he remembered the promise Slade was talking about and he knew things weren't going to end well. Furious because Slade had found a way to see into his lair, his home.

Oliver strode over to the training dummy, clenching his hands into fists, muscles tense, and hit it with such force that he broke one of the arms off of it with a single blow. It was taking an extreme amount of control to not scream out in anger. He knew that his heart rate had increased, he could hear his pulse roaring in his ears. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths trying to calm himself before he faced the group. He was trying to keep the others from seeing the look of fury on his face, from hearing the anger in his voice.

"Oliver. How is Slade Wilson still alive?" Thea asked as she stood trembling, clearly scared. She still remembered the night that she had been abducted by that man and the memory made her shudder. Then, seeing the way that Oliver reacted to Slade had worried her even more. It was rare these days that she saw her brother show anger like that.  _Well, when he's not in his Arrow suit anyway._

"You remember me telling you that I wasn't alone on the Island right?" Oliver asked after taking a few more calming breaths. "I told you that it was a friend that had shocked me with the generator in the hold of the ship. Well, Slade was that friend." He continued, allowing some of the emotion to be heard in his voice. He kept his gaze turned however, not looking anyone in the eyes in fear of what he would find reflected in their gazes. "I had to make an impossible choice, the result of which ended in the woman that he loved being killed by a man named Ivo. Before he shocked me he had Ivo in the hold of the ship as well. He had him hold the gun the same way that he did when she died, recreated the scenario with the information that he knew. Then Slade cut off the hand that Ivo had used to shoot her before turning to me. I begged, begged him to just end it, just kill me and end it but he refused. He said that to kill me would be a mercy. Slade told me that I couldn't die until I had suffered the same way that he had suffered. I needed to know complete despair and he promised me that I would. Now he is here to make good on his promise."

Sara couldn't believe what she was hearing. She didn't know that had happened because Oliver had never shared that with her.  _Of course, I didn't ask either. That's not something you can simply talk about over dinner._  She felt for Oliver. It was hard enough knowing that she was partially responsible for the whole situation.  _If I had only not…_

Sara's thoughts were interrupted by Oliver's hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see the look on his face that said he knew what she was thinking. "It's not your fault Sara." He stated simply. She nodded her head, letting him know that she understood what he was saying.  _That doesn't mean that I'm blameless in this though._  She thought to herself.

"It's not your fault either Oliver." Sara said in response. "You had an impossible choice. You didn't know how things would end."

"Oliver." Felicity said as she came to stand next to him and spoke to him quietly. "Are you okay?" She knew that he was taking this hard just based of his reaction. He was probably blaming himself for the fact that Slade was still alive.  _If I had done my job better though Slade would never have been able to get into the computer, would never have seen the inside of our lair and Oliver would_ not _be blaming himself right now._

"It's not your fault either." Oliver responded as he placed a hand on her shoulder. He knew that she would be blaming herself for not being able to stop Slade from hacking the computers. He pulled her into a hug, trying to give her some reassurance and drawing on her strength at the same time. "You did everything you could to keep him out. But when Slade gets an idea in his head, a plan, then there is nothing you can do to stop him."

"So what's the plan now?" Roy asked, not missing the tension in the room. He could tell that Oliver and Sara were not taking this new development very well. As he looked to Diggle he could tell that his teammate was thinking the same thing.

"I'll call and have extra security added at the mansion." Diggle stated as he stepped to the back of the lair to make the necessary calls.

"We need to have extra security detail for everyone, including Laurel." Oliver said as he turned to Lance.

"I'll call and have someone sit outside her apartment and have extra patrols go by hourly." Lance stated as he also turned to make the necessary calls.

"Oliver, is there anything we can do to be of assistance." Walter asked, he could tell that Oliver was very upset and wanted to do anything he could to help the young man.

"I need you, Mom, and Thea to go back to the mansion and stay there. Do  _not_  leave without the security detail." Oliver replied, he was worried for his family and wanted to be sure that they were safe.

"If you need us you know where to find us son." Moira said, as she gave Oliver a hug before heading up to the car. She had a lot of questions but knew that right now was not the time to ask. She loved her son and the best way to support him would be to do as he asked.

"I love you too mom." Oliver said as he returned the hug. Then, turning to Thea he pulled her into a big hug as well. "Please stay at the Mansion Thea, I need you to be safe!"

"I will Ollie, I promise." Thea said, her voice wavering. It was evident that she had been crying and Oliver knew she was upset.

"Roy, go with them please." Oliver said, turning to his younger teammate. "Stay with Thea and call me if anything happens." He was clearly giving an order and fully expected Roy to obey without hesitation.

"Of course. If you need me just call me." Roy responded as he went and grabbed his bow and arrows before turning to take Thea's hand and escort her out to the car as well.

"Everything's set up from my end." Lance said as he hung up from his call to SCPD. "I'm going to go stay with Laurel. Just to make sure she stays safe." He looked to Sara as he continued to address the Team. "You call me if you need anything, anything at all!"

"Of course Dad. Same goes for you, you call me if you need anything or if anything happens. You got that?" Sara wanted to be sure that her family was safe, that they were taken care of.

Lance nodded before pulling Sara into a tight hug. "Take care of my baby girl!" He then said to Oliver, glaring at him pointedly, who was standing a couple of feet behind them. Oliver gave a simple nod to acknowledge that he would look out for her, for his Team.

As soon as Lance left the lair Sara went and changed back into her leathers. Grabbing her Bo staff she turned to the Team. "I'm going to go keep watch over them tonight. I'll call if anything happens."

"Be careful Sara!" Oliver responded, the last thing he wanted was for Slade to be able to grab one of them because they weren't careful enough.

After Sara left Oliver turned back to Diggle and Felicity who were standing next to her computers looking at him.  _Finally, back to just the three of us. Even if for only a moment._

"Oliver?" Felicity asked, there were so many questions that he could hear in her voice, just by saying his name.

"I'm fine Felicity." Oliver stated quietly, trying to give her a reassuring smile. He knew, however, from the look on her face that she wasn't going for it. She walked up to him and placed a hand on his arm, giving it a small squeeze to let him know that she was still there for him.

"I'm going to start seeing if I can back trace his signal, see where he's at." Felicity said to him as she turned to her computers. She needed something to do to take her mind off the fact that a maniac, who they had thought was dead, had hacked into her computers and invaded their home.

Oliver turned to the Salmon Ladder, he needed to physically work off some of the frustration and anger that he was feeling. He put himself through a rigorous workout that included the Salmon Ladder, inverted crunches from the support beams, parkouring around the lair, and beating on the training dummies.

Diggle sat down next to Felicity, trying to give her some support while staying out of Oliver's way. When the younger man got into this type of workout mode it was best to simply stay out of his way.

After over an hour of Felicity working at her computers she was getting frustrated. She was not getting anywhere on her search for Slade and she was so exhausted, physically and emotionally, that she was starting to be unable to concentrate anymore.

"Felicity." Oliver said as he placed a hand on her shoulder causing the blonde to jump in response.

"Oliver! What have I told you about using your ninja skills on me?" Felicity responded, trying to sound irritated but instead sounding completely exhausted.

"You need to go home and get some rest." Oliver told her, clearly leaving no room for argument. "Diggle will take you home." He said as he looked to his teammate who simply nodded in response.

"What about finding Slade?"

"That can wait. We all need to be at our best and in order for that to happen we each need to rest." Oliver clearly wanted her to just go home and get some sleep. He was hoping that she would stop debating the issue with him.

"Oliver's right. We do all need some rest." Diggle stated, giving Oliver a look that clearly said that he needed to get some rest as well.

"I'll sleep here tonight. It's a central location and I can easily get either to the Mansion, Laurel's or Felicity's if need be." Oliver said, letting Diggle know that he simply needed some time alone to sort through what was going on.

Diggle nodded, he understood Oliver's desire for some peace and quiet. It had to be hard knowing that a man that you had personally killed, once after he tried to kill you and once more after he abducted your sister, was still alive and hunting you.  _At least here he won't wake anyone if he has a nightmare._  Diggle thought.

"Fine, take me home Digg." Felicity said, clearly not happy with the arrangement but too tired to argue more. She stood and gathered her tablet, phone and purse before heading to the stairs. "Goodnight Oliver."

"Goodnight Felicity." Oliver said as he watched them leave.  _Your turn to keep her safe Digg._  The man nodded in response to his unspoken words, letting him know that he would watch over Felicity tonight.

They drove to Felicity's apartment in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts. As he pulled up to the front of her building Felicity turned to Diggle and said, "You're going home now right? You had better not be parked outside my place all night!"

"Goodnight Felicity." Diggle responded, avoiding the subject in order to not lie to her. He sat and watched as she walked in the front door, turning to wave to him before she shut the door.

Felicity was exhausted as she climbed the stairs to her apartment. All she wanted right now was a gallon of Mint Chip ice cream and her pillow,  _or maybe a bubble bath._  She opened her door and turned off the security system and then turned to put her tablet and purse on her table. She then went to the kitchen to grab her ice cream and a spoon. She dropped both on the floor when she suddenly heard an Australian voice behind her.

"Hello Felicity."


	7. Dreams

_**Felicity's POV** _

When Felicity woke her head was throbbing, she was a bit cold and her arms were sore. She tried to think back, to remember what had happened.  _Diggle dropped me off at my house, I went inside, I set down my tablet and purse on the table then went to get Mint Chip._ Suddenly she remembered!

"Slade." Felicity said quietly as she lifted her head and slowly opened her eyes. She carefully looked around her to see if she could figure out where she was. There were no windows in this room, she was sitting in a chair with her hands tied behind her back, it was damp and cold in here and from what she could tell there was only one door to the room.  _This reminds me an awful lot of Malcolm's cell block._

Felicity sat there for an unknown amount of time trying to not let her fear get the best of her. There was nothing to give her any indication oh how much time was passing and she was about to go crazy with the wait. The only things that changed at all were the lights, and they were just flickering a bit once in a while. She did know that she was being watched however as she saw the telltale little red light in the two corners of the room that she could see.  _Slade must be watching me._  She thought sadly.

As she sat there in solitude Felicity could not help but wonder if the boys had even noticed that she was missing yet. She knew that Diggle was parked outside her apartment building, she knew that he wouldn't have left no matter what she'd said, but there was a good possibility that she had been taken out the back door.  _Diggle can't watch all sides of the building at the same time after all._  Then her thoughts turned to Oliver. She knew he was probably back at the lair still working out.  _If he doesn't stop for some rest soon he's going to pass out from exhaustion._  She was worried about what would happen when Oliver found out, how he would react. She knew if it was the other way around she would be worried sick about him. She simply hoped that he would be able to keep his anger under control when Oliver did find out that she was missing.

_**Slade's POV** _

Slade smiled to himself as he sat and watched Felicity as she woke up and looked around her.  _She really is rather beautiful. I'm still not sure what the Kid sees in her though._  He had been watching Oliver for a while and had just recently come to realize that Felicity was the key to Oliver and his Team. He was pretty sure that they would do anything to bring their blonde IT girl back safely.  _I'm counting on it._

Slade stood and slowly made his way down the hall, it was time to talk to the blonde. As he approached the door he stopped for a moment to see if there were any sounds coming from inside the room where he was holding her. When he heard nothing he slowly opened the door and walked inside.

_**Mixed POV's** _

Felicity turned her gaze to the door when she heard heavy footsteps in the hall. She knew it was probably Slade and tried not to jump when the door swung open. She saw Slade's silhouette in the door.  _He's bigger than I imagined him_ Felicity thought. As he slowly made his way into the room she took in everything that made up Slade Wilson. He was tall and muscular with black hair. She saw the two swords that were strapped to his back and was worried that he would use them on her. Lastly she looked to his face and wondered what would have happened to cause him to have to wear the eye patch.

"Hello Felicity." Slade said as he walked towards where he had Felicity tied to the chair near the center of the room. "It's nice to see you awake. Did you enjoy you little nap? Did you dream of your precious Oliver?" He said, taunting her.

"Nap? You call that a nap? So you hacked into my computer system, broke into my apartment, made me spill a perfectly good gallon of Mint Chip on the floor, drugged me, and then brought me to some secret hole in the ground and you want to know how my nap was?" Felicity said in one full breath. She knew she would have to watch it as her brain to mouth filter didn't work very often, but just this once she didn't mind letting him have a piece of her mind. "What do you want, you maniac?"  _ **  
**_

"Hehehe, you really do have quite a talent with words don't you Miss Smoak." Slade said with a laugh as he slowly walked around Felicity. "Is that how you made it from the IT department to Oliver's secretary? Or did you sleep your way to the top like everyone says that you did?" He didn't miss the look of fury on the woman's face. "You know Oliver's not going to be too excited that you went missing. He seems to be pretty protective of his _secretary_."

"I am  _not_  his secretary. I'm his E _xecutive Assistant!_ " Felicity retorted back. She hated being called a secretary, especially as she was capable of doing so much more than anyone knew was even possible.

Slade walked up to Felicity and laid a hand on her right shoulder, giving a slight squeeze, and noticing the slight wince of pain from the woman.

"Did Oliver tell you what he did to me? To the man that he considered his brother?" Slade asked with a growl.

"No." Felicity said, trying not to let the pain from her shoulder be evident in her voice.  _After all, it's only been a few days since Malcolm shot me_ she thought. He shoulder was getting better but it still hurt if she moved it the wrong way and Slade's grip was definitely making it hurt.

"He betrayed me. He allowed the woman that I loved to be killed when he could have stopped Ivo. He chose to keep it a secret that  _he_  was responsible for Shado's death. Then he tried to kill me by stabbing an arrow through my eye on the Island, and then tried to kill me again after he rescued his precious little sister Thea." Slade told Felicity as he walked around her again. As he stepped around to the front of the chair he kneeled down so that he was not at eye level with her. "Would you like to know what I'm going to do to him now?"

"You leave Oliver alone! All he's done is try to save this city, to protect it. He is a hero!" Felicity stated with complete belief in what she was saying, and Slade could see it.

"He is no hero! If he was a hero he would have saved Shado!" Slade growled as he clenched his fists. "I know exactly who he is. He is my friend."

"You're going to kill him aren't you?" Felicity asked, seeing the dark look in Slade's eyes.

"Death would be a release from this life and his sentence is yet to be carried out." Slade responded, leaning closer to Felicity's face, the conviction evident in his voice. "I am going to tear everything he cares about away from him. Destroy those who choose to follow him. Corrupt those he loves." Slade stood and walked slowly to the doorway before turning around to finish addressing Felicity. "Once he has lost everyone and everything he values I will drive an arrow through his eye!"  _ **  
**_

Felicity could not help the tears that started to run down her face as Slade left the room, slamming the door behind him. She was scared of what he was going to do. She was scared for her friends on Team Arrow, she was scared for their new 'extended Team' as she has come to know the rest of the group, but mostly she was scared for Oliver. He had already been through so much, lost so much. _Will he be able to go on if Slade wins?_

_**Oliver's POV** _

Once everyone left the lair Oliver put himself through several more exercises. He knew that his body needed rest but there was no way that he would actually be able to go to sleep right now. He still didn't know how in the world Slade would have survived his last attempt at killing him.

Finally, after a couple of hours of rigorous training, Oliver finally felt that he was physically exhausted enough to get some sleep. He took a quick shower to wash off the layer of sweat that he had accumulated throughout the evening before laying down on the cot in the corner of the lair.

Finally Oliver fell into a fitful sleep as he dreamed about the night that he last killed Slade:

_Oliver had just discovered where Slade was keeping Thea and was headed there now, with his Team, to confront the man and free his sister. As he walked into the room he saw Slade, sitting in a nice chair in the center of the room with a smirk on his face. He was sitting there, with a drink in his hand, as though he was waiting for Oliver to arrive. As Oliver took a couple of steps closer, arrow nocked in readiness, the rest of his Team entered the room. Roy, as uncontrolled as ever, let the Mirakuru take over for a moment and landed a solid punch to Slade's jaw as he walked across in front of the man. He did not_ _take kindly to his girlfriend being abducted._ _**  
** _

_They exchanged a_ _few words before Felicity came over the comms telling them that she had_ _intercepted radio traffic from ARGUS. T_ _hat they knew Slade was there and they would be leveling the building shortly. They needed to get out of there,_ now!

_As Oliver was looking to the Team to ensure that they heard what Felicity had said,_ _Slade quickly rose, pulling a sword from under the chair, and came towards Oliver. They collided, bow to blade, and a heated battle ensued between Team Arrow and Slade Wilson. As Felicity was updating them on the ETA of ARGUS the Team attacked Slade with everything that they had. After several minutes Felicity told them that they had only_ _one minute to exit the building or they would all_ _be blown sky high with Slade._

_Sara and Oliver had quickly used every weapon at their disposal to slow Slade down enough so_ _that the Team could make their escape. Just as they exited the building it exploded, throwing everyone several feet. It had taken the Team a week to get any information out of ARGUS and all that they were told was that the blast had killed Slade, thanks to the Team slowing Slade enough that he could not exit the building in time. They had all thought that Slade was dead, that he had been blown to bits with the building._

Oliver's dream then took on a new form:

_Slade walked in a dark room to a small form tied to a chair. He had his sword drawn as he approached the person. As soon as Slade got within reach of the chair he thrust the sword into the person in front of him, eliciting a scream from that person. It wasn't until Slade pulled the sword free that the face of the person was visible._

Oliver sat bolt upright on the bed, sweat covering his body as he yelled.

"Felicity!"


	8. Missing

Oliver spent almost ten minutes pacing the foundry floor before he finally gave in and texted Diggle. He knew his partner was keeping an eye on Felicity and he appreciated it more than Diggle probably knew.  _I'll have to make sure and to_ _thank him soon._  Oliver thought as he texted his the other man.

_Is Felicity still safe at home? – Oliver_

_She hasn't left all night. Nothing interesting happening. – Diggle_

_Can you please go check and make sure she's okay. – Oliver_

_Sure man, you okay? – Diggle_

_Please just check! – Oliver_

Diggle knew something was going on with Oliver. He didn't normally just tell him to go check on someone when he knew Digg was keeping an eye on them. He climbed out of his car and walked to the front door of Felicity's apartment building. He could just imagine what Felicity was going to say to him when he knocked on her door. She would yell at him for being there, get onto him for sitting outside her apartment, and then probably invite him in for coffee. He walked up the stairs and down the hall to her front door.

He quickly pulled his gun as he approached her apartment door as he saw that it was pushed closed but not latched. He slowly stepped inside, keeping an eye out for anything that was out of place, for someone that didn't belong. As he slowly stepped into Felicity's apartment he noticed that the alarm was turned off properly. _Whoever came in here either did it after she came in and turned off the alarm, or found a way around it_  Diggle thought as he moved further into her apartment. Stepping through the kitchen he noticed her cell phone, purse, and tablet still sitting there. What didn't belong was the gallon of Mint Chip ice cream and spoon that was on the floor. As he continued to clear her apartment his heart slowly dropped as he came to realize that Felicity was _not_ in her apartment where he left her.  _Felicity, where are you?_ Diggle thought before he realized that he still had to tell Oliver.  _Oh man! Oliver's going to kill me!_ _ **  
**_

Oliver was pacing the lair waiting for Diggle to get back to him. He had a sinking feeling that something incredibly bad had happened to Felicity and waiting to find out was driving him mad. He finally made the decision that he wasn't going to wait, he would just head out there himself, and changed into his Arrow suit. He was just strapping on his full quiver when he got the call from Diggle.

"Oliver, man, she's gone." Diggle said quickly, knowing he was about to get an earful from Oliver.

"What do you mean she's gone? I thought you were watching her!" Oliver almost yelled. He had trusted Diggle to keep her safe, and now she was gone.

"I'm sorry man. She didn't come out the front and no one suspicious went in either. They must have gone out the back." Diggle responded. He felt horrible because it was  _his_  job to watch and make sure Felicity stayed safe tonight. Instead she had been abducted right from under his nose.

"I'm on my way. Be there in less than five minutes." Oliver said very curtly.  **  
**

Diggle started searching the apartment while he waited for Oliver. He knew that his partner was furious with him, and rightly so. However, no one could be more upset with himself than he was. _I can't believe that I let this happen. They were counting on me and I let them down. It's my fault that Felicity was taken._

As Oliver pulled up to Felicity's apartment on his Ducati he was doing everything that he could to keep his anger under control. He quickly climbed the fire escape right outside her living room window, climbing though to see Diggle closely examining the front door.

"Diggle." Oliver called to his partner.

"Oliver, someone broke in and disabled the alarm. They reset it and hid in the apartment until she got home. Looks like maybe in the bedroom as the lights were on in here and she would have noticed if someone was here before she pulled out the ice cream if they were in the living room or kitchen." Diggle quickly explained what he had found in his search through the apartment, not missing the look of concern and anger on Oliver's face. "I'm sorry man. It's my fault she's gone."

"No." Oliver said, the anger still clear in his voice. "Slade is to blame."

"How do you know Oliver?" Diggle asked, wondering if his partner had information that he hadn't shared yet.

"I just know." Oliver said as he turned to go back out the window. "Call Lance to give him a heads up then meet me at the lair."

Diggle shook his head as Oliver jumped off the fire escape to the streets below. It was obvious that Oliver wasn't taking this well.  _Of course not, his girl is gone_ Diggle thought. He pulled his phone out and called Detective Lance. The man answered on the second ring.

"Mr. Diggle, is everything okay?" Lance asked, it was really early in the morning and he was starting to get tired but he fully woke instantly at the man's next words.

"Felicity is missing. She has been taken from her apartment." Diggle explained quickly. "Make sure you are keeping a close eye on Laurel."

"Right. I'm with her now. I'll send some uniforms over to take a look and see what we can find." Lance stated as he walked to Laurel's bedroom door, checking to make sure she was still there, sleeping, where he had left her. "Any idea who took her?"

"Oliver says it was Slade." Diggle explained as he headed back to his car to go back to Verdant.

"Noted. We'll keep our eyes peeled and I'll call you if I hear anything." Lance assured Diggle.

"Thank you Detective." Diggle said before hanging up. He drove quickly back to the lair. He wanted to make sure that Oliver didn't punish himself for Felicity being missing.

As Diggle walked down into the lair he heard Oliver talking to Roy, explaining what had happened and instructing the younger man to keep a very close eye on Thea, Moira, and Walter who were all at the Queen Mansion. Right after he hung up Sara walked into the lair.

"Oliver!" Sara stated, clearly worried. "Dad told me what happened. What can I do to help?"

"Do you know how to work her GPS program and search engines?" Oliver asked. He knew the basics but didn't want to touch Felicity's computers if there was someone more capable of using them.

"Yeah, she's showed me a couple of times." Sara said as she walked to the computers and sat down in Felicity's chair. "Give me a few minutes and I'll see what I can find for you."

Sara started working away at Felicity's computers. She pulled up the program up and accessed Felicity's GPS's. The one in her phone clearly showed that it was still back at her apartment, however, she was having difficulty finding the one in her industrial earing that she always wore. That probably meant that Slade had either found it and destroyed it, or something was blocking the signal. She set the computer to send an alert to all their phones if and when it came on, as well as sending her coordinates.

Turning back to the rest of the Team Sara clearly saw the look of anger on Oliver's face. It was clear that the fact that Felicity was missing was definitely taking a toll on his self-control.  _If we don't find her soon he's going to turn back into the Hood and start dropping bodies again._ _ **  
**_

"Oliver, you need to calm down." Sara said, she knew that pacing around the lair, again, would not get anything accomplished. "You pacing around down here is not going to get us any closer to bringing her home. Is there anything that you can think of that would give us a clue as to where she could have been taken?"

"It's Slade we're talking about here." Oliver said, clenching his fists by his side. He was about to punch something because he was supposed to be able to protect Felicity, instead he is the reason she is missing. "She could be anywhere."

Just as Sara was about to respond to Oliver's words there was a sound from the computer. Sara turned back to the computers, quickly typing and bringing up a couple of screens before turning to Oliver and Diggle again as she spoke.

"I know where Felicity is!"

 


	9. The Rescue

"Where?" Oliver said as he quickly walked over to the computer, leaning in to see the map that Sara had brought up on the screen.

"She's in a building on the edge of the Glades." Sara said, noting the slight relief on Diggle's face. She knew he had been beating himself up over the fact that Felicity had been missing mostly because he had been the onetasked with keeping her safe. "Looks like a small warehouse."

"Show me the plans Sara." Oliver demanded. He had to get the information that he needed so that he could go and rescue  _his girl_.

"Bringing them up now." Sara stated, ignoring the demand in his voice. She knew he was tense over the whole situation and she simply worked as fast as she could to bring up the requiredinfo. "The building is currently condemned. It was last owned by… Queen Consolidated." She finished carefully as she looked to Oliver noting the look of fury that he was attempting to hide. "It was emptied and abandoned just before you came home."

"Diggle, you ready to go?" Oliver turned to his partner and asked. He knew Diggle felt bad, but hecould not help but be more than a little irritated at him as well.  _All he had to do was watch over_ _her, make sure she didn't get hurt and Slade took her from right under his nose._  Oliver thought, as he started to clench his fists in an attempt to clamp down on his anger.

"Oliver!" Sara called to the man who she could see the anger coming off of in waves. "It's no one's fault. If Slade wanted her he was going to take her no matter what we did." She wanted him to understand that neither Diggle nor he could have stopped Slade, no matter what they did.

"You're right Sara." Oliver said as he visibly relaxed, even if only fractionally. Turning to Diggle he addressed the older man with sincerity. "I'm sorry Diggle. I've been blaming you and it's not even your fault."

"You have every right to be mad at me." Diggle replied, knowing that it really was his fault that their bubbly teammate was gone. "I should have been watching more carefully."

"No, Diggle, it's  _not_  your fault." Sara said, standing and laying a hand on his shoulder. "Slade is a sick, twisted man and he will  _always_  find a way to get what he wants. Trust me, there was nothing we could have done."

Diggle slowly nodded his head as he heard what they were saying.  _Maybe once we bring her_ home _I won't blame myself so much._ He thought as he turned to be sure he had all the weapons that he needed. After a moment he turned to Sara and Oliver. "Let's go get her back!"

They all left the lair to go find Felicity. It took them a considerably shorter amount of time than it should have to reach the building and it was surprisingly deserted for having been used as a prison recently. There were no signs of life anywhere.  _That doesn't mean that Slade isn't watching, waiting to ambush us when we least expect it._  Oliver thought as he looked around carefully.

The building was much smaller than what Oliver had thought Slade would actually be using. Especially if he was trying to lure me in. He had also thought that there would be a  _lot_  more security than, well, no one. He turned to Sara to see that she also was surprised that no one was there to 'greet' them. This was all too easy. Just as Oliver walked to the door to open it Diggle laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait, the door is rigged." Diggle had seen the faint sign of a wire at the bottom of the door. "I saw doors rigged like this in Kandahar. Almost blew up a buddy of mine because he didn't see it." He kneeled down at the bottom of the door to inspect the trap carefully. He searched to see if he could find where the wire led but unfortunately for them it looked like it led inside the building. "The wire's within reach, so I could cut it, but I can't tell what it's hooked up to on the other side. It could be explosives and I don't want to set it off accidentally. Not with Felicity in there!"

"Diggle, you stay here and watch this door. Sara you go to the door on the side, check for a trap there as well. I'm going to the window on the ledge by the roof to see if I can get in that way." Oliver ordered as he turned to make his way up the building.

As Sara ran to the side door, keeping a close watch around her, she couldn't help but wonder if they were ever going to get inside, if Oliver was going to be able to keep it together in order to get to Felicity. She knew that he cared deeply for her and that Felicity was the main reason he had not dropped bodies in the last several months. She was obviously his light, his person worth fighting for,  _his girl._

When Sara reached the side door she uttered a small curse under her breath. "Oliver, this door's rigged too. There is no way in on ground level." She winced at the string of words that came from Oliver's mouth. "How's it going on your end?"

Oliver had made his way up the building utilizing his free climbing skills. He was now standing in front of the window, which was missing the glass, looking down into the building. He could see Felicity tied to a chair in the middle of the room and there was a bag over her head to keep her from seeing her surroundings.  _ **  
**_

"Felicity!" Oliver called, after carefully looking around to be sure that there was no one in the building and that the window was not wired like the doors. He did notice a gun on a tripod about five feet in front of her but was unable to see anything else.

"Oliver?" Felicity called, turning her head to where the sound of his voice came from. She was so thankful to hear his voice, but worried at the same time. Slade had told her how he had booby trapped the building and she knew that if Oliver wasn't  _very_  careful then he wouldn't make it in time.

"Felicity, I'm coming down for you. Just hold on." Oliver said as he prepared to climb through the window and drop down to free her.

" **Oliver!"** Felicity yelled, a bit out of breath from the lack of fresh air with the bag over her head. " **Wait!**  Slade has a gun on a timer, if you take too long then the gun will go off. He also put lasers across the floor, if you step farther than two feet from my chair then it goes off. If you open the doors, it goes off."

"Shit!" Sara said in response to what she heard Felicity say.  _Leave it to Slade to find a way to torture Oliver without even being around._  She thought as heard Oliver growl in response.

"Sara, Digg, did you catch that?" Oliver growled. He could not believe that Slade had trained a gun on Felicity.  _I guess it shouldn't surprise me though, knowing him_  Oliver thought as he considered his options. The simultaneous words of affirmation told him that yes, the team had heard, and they were not pleased about it either.

Oliver looked around to see what he could use to rescue Felicity. He noticed a support beam running across the middle of the roof.  _If I use a grappling arrow I can lower myself to Felicity_ _and pull her up without touching the lasers._  He thought as he pulled out his arrow. He didn't know how much time he had but he didn't want to take too long to get her out of there.  _I'll never forgive myself if she doesn't come out alive._  He nocked his grappling arrow, aimed, and fired in a matter of seconds.

"I'm going in." Oliver said over the comms so his teammates knew what he was doing, as well as so that Felicity would know that he was coming for her. He would  _not_  leave her alone in there. He swung through the window and hung for a split second in the middle of the room to be sure he was not going break the lasers when he landed. Once he was sure of his alignment with the floor below he quickly lowered himself to the floor, dropping so quickly that when he landed he was crouched on one knee in front of her.

Felicity let out a small shriek of surprise when she heard someone land in front of her. She knew Oliver was coming for her but not being able to see she had been shocked when she heard him land. She suddenly felt the bag over her head being lifted and had to blink a few times against the light in the room, even though it was dim. When she could finally see she was looking into Oliver's beautiful blue eyes – again.

"Felicity!" Oliver whispered, he was so relieved to see that she was alive and didn't seem to be hurt at all. He reached a hand up to cup her cheek.

Felicity leaned into his touch, closing her eyes and simply enjoying his touch, however brief the contact may be. She was so thankful that he had come for her.  _He_ _said he always would._ She reminded herself.

"Let's get you out of here." Oliver said as he carefully moved around behind her to cut the ropes binding her hands. He carefully helped pull her to her feet, not missing the wince of pain when she moved her right arm. He wrapped his arm around her and prepared to pull them from the floor to the roof.

"Are you doing your Tarzan thing again?" Felicity asked as she noted the grappling line that Oliver had reached for. He looked down to her with a smirk on his face. She nodded in response and held onto him with every ounce of strength that she had.

Oliver quickly pulled them up to the roof, noticing that Sara was now at the window to help pull Felicity through. He was thankful that she was there as there was no easy way for him to help Felicity out the window by himself. He carefully maneuvered Felicity to the window where Sara grabbed her and helped her climb through the window. As she was stepping through she knocked a small piece of the window sill off and it hit the floor. The second the piece hit the ground a loud shot rang out. Oliver looked down and could see the gaping hole in the tall chair that Felicity had been sitting in just moments before. If he had not gotten her out of there then the shot would have gone right through her head.

The shot had startled Felicity and she spun quickly to make sure that Oliver was still there, unhurt. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she saw that he was alive and well and was now climbing through the window as well. Oliver lowered himself and Felicity to the ground using a fresh grappling arrow as he had not needed to use one to reach the roof. She was intensely grateful when her feet hit solid ground again. She hated heights!  _ **  
**_

Once they were on the ground Oliver pulled Felicity into a tight hug, being careful to avoid her shoulder at all costs. "Are you alright?" He asked, the emotion evident in his voice, at least to her.

"I'm fine Oliver." Felicity replied, knowing that he would not appreciate that answer. She was proven right when he pulled back to look at her. They both turned to Diggle when they heard him clear his throat and then tried to hide his snicker.

"Are you two done flirting?" Diggle asked with a huge grin on his face. He didn't miss the small chuckle from Sara as she heard his words

They both turned, faces red, before Felicity left Oliver's arms to give Diggle a hug. "Thank you for coming for me guys!" Felicity said sincerely.

"You know that there is never a choice to make." Diggle replied as he looked at Oliver who nodded in response. "I'm sorry Felicity!"

"It's not your fault Diggle." Felicity replied.

"Sorry to interrupt guys, but we need to get going. We're not safe here." Sara said as she looked around. They were vulnerable here and she knew Slade couldn't be too far off watching them.

Felicity smiled as she turned back to the Team, her family.

"Let's go home then!"

 


	10. Emotions

As the group turned to their vehicles to head home Felicity realized that the Team had brought the two bikes and a car. She was conflicted, she knew that she would be expected to ride in the car with Diggle, but she really didn't feel like leaving Oliver's side right now. She was still extremely shaken up over the last few days and she didn't want to lose contact with him, no matter how briefly.

Oliver could see the emotions crossing Felicity's face as she realized the travel arrangements. He knew that she was still running on adrenaline from her most recent abduction and he was worried about what would happen when the adrenaline ran out. Besides, he didn't exactly want to leave her side right now. It took him a split second to decide what to do.

"Sara, you head back on the bike. I'll ride in the car with Felicity and Diggle." Oliver said as he removed his quiver before turning to the car.

"What about your bike man?" Diggle asked, knowing that Felicity and Oliver wouldn't want to leave each other's side, but he also didn't think that leaving the bike was a good idea.

"I'll come back for it." Sara said as she put her helmet on. "Right after I drop mine off at the club." She knew that she could make her way back quickly enough if she parkoured her way across the rooftops. She turned and climbed on her bike, started it up, and peeled out of the lot heading for the club.

"Let's go guys." Diggle said as he held open the back door of the car for Oliver and Felicity.

Oliver guided Felicity into the back of the car, pulling her close to him as soon as the door was closed. She sat, curled up against his side, as Diggle drove them back to the lair. Oliver sat with his nose buried in her hair, his arm around her, and he felt the adrenaline draining from her as she began to shake in his arms.

"Shhh, Felicity. It's okay, you're safe now." Oliver whispered to her quietly as he gently rubbed her arm. He wanted her to know that he was there for her.  _After all, it is my fault she was abducted – again._ He thought to himself.

"It's not your fault Oliver." Felicity said quietly, without moving. "It wasn't yours either Diggle. Slade wanted me and he would have taken me no matter who was there. Neither of you are to blame."

They all rode in silence for a few moments, each engrossed in their own thoughts. Diggle was trying to take Felicity's words to heart. He knew logically that she was right. If Slade had really wanted her then there was nothing that any of them could have done about it. He was stronger than any of them and had connections that would get him anything. After replaying Felicity's words in his head several times he finally came to the conclusion that she was right, it  _wasn't_ his fault.

Oliver wasn't so easy on himself. He  _knew_  it was his fault even if no one else really did. He had had the chance many years ago to keep this from happening, had thought he had killed Slade, and yet here he was again, hunting Oliver and those he cared for. Oliver didn't know what else he could do to protect his friends, his family,  _his girl._

As they pulled up to the back door of Verdant Oliver and Diggle saw Sara, perched on the fire escape of the building next door, keeping watch over the rest of the Team. As Felicity and Oliver walked through the back door of the lair, Diggle nodded to Sara as she turned to parkour her way back for Oliver's Ducati before heading inside himself.

"I'm going to go shower." Felicity said, as they reached the bottom on the stairs. "I need to get his smell off me." She shuddered a bit as she finished speaking to Oliver. She turned and headed back towards the bathroom. She couldn't help but turn around to look at Oliver, make sure he really was there. She smiled to herself when she saw him taking off his jacket and shirt before reaching for his cargo pants not far away.  _At least I can watch him show off his abs again soon._  Felicity thought before quickly going to shower.

Oliver headed straight for the Salmon Ladder as soon as Felicity turned the shower on. His muscles were still tense, he was tired from lack of sleep no small thanks to his nightmares last night, and he was still furious at himself for allowing Felicity to be taken by Slade. He should have known better than to leave her alone, well not alone because Diggle was watching her. But he should have stayed with her, or had her stay at the lair with him. Any way he looked at it, the fault was with him and him alone.

Diggle watched as Oliver started up the Salmon Ladder, again. He knew the younger man blamed himself because he had done the same thing. He took his jacket off and headed over to the training dummies to let out a bit of pent up anger, at himself, at Slade, at the whole situation. This never should have happened, especially to Felicity.

Felicity closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the hot water and steam from her shower. Slade hadn't touched her much, just enough to move her from place to place, but she couldn't help but feeling disgusted from it. She felt about it similar to the way she had after the Count had taken her. She felt repulsed for having been touched at all by a crazy man. She felt relieved that Oliver had come for her and yet felt bad for him at the same time. She knew that he was beating himself up over the situation – again. She simply hoped that he would pull out of it quickly,  _and Diggle too for that matter._

As Sara walked down the stairs to the lair after retrieving Oliver's Ducati she realized that there was a good possibility that no one had informed the rest of the group that Felicity had been rescued and was safe. She pulled out her phone as she reached the bottom of the stairs, not failing to notice Oliver on the Salmon Ladder and Diggle on the training mats. She realized Felicity was in the shower as she heard the water running. Smiling to herself she sat down to call her Dad and then Roy to let them know everyone was safe and accounted for.

Felicity felt a million times better now that she had washed all the dirt and grime off after her latest abduction. She was happy as she walked out of the bathroom that Oliver was still on the Salmon Ladder. She simply  _loved_  watching him and his gorgeous abs on display and was happy that he had not worked out quite all of his frustration before she finished in the shower and changing. As she sat down at her computers she gave Sara a small smile. Sara was obviously on the phone with her Dad at the time and she didn't want to interrupt the conversation.

Oliver could feel the moment that Felicity entered the room. He felt her eyes on him as he worked his way up the Salmon Ladder, again. He almost smiled to himself and would have if he didn't still feel guilty. He knew when she sat in her chair, when she turned towards him, and the moment she allowed a smile to grace her beautiful face.  _She is_ so _beautiful when she smiles!_  He thought as he dropped silently to the floor in front of her.

Felicity smiled up at Oliver as he reached the top of the Salmon Ladder. She had had a rough night last night but being here, in the lair, watching Oliver working out shirtless again made her feel better, even if only for a moment, because everything seemed right for just those few moments in time. She was so focused on Oliver that she didn't notice when Sara and Diggle quietly stepped out of the lair, knowing that Oliver and Felicity would need some time alone tonight after everything that had happened. She watched intently as Oliver knelt as he had when he came to rescue her just an hour, or less, before.

Oliver looked up into Felicity's beautiful eyes. She was staring intently at him and he could see all the emotions that she was trying to hide from him. He stood from his kneeling position on the ground and walked around the desk to stand right in front of her.

Felicity looked up trying to hide the fact that she was crashing, the adrenaline had finally faded and she had realized, seconds before Oliver stood in front of her, that her hands were starting to shake again. She tore her eyes away from his blue eyes and looked down to where her hands were folded in her lap, not wanting him to see the emotions that were warring within her. She realized that she had utterly failed, however, when he knelt down in front of her and tilted her face up towards him with a gentle hand under her chin.

Oliver could tell that Felicity was starting to lose it. He had noticed when he looked up to her from his kneeling position at the bottom of the Ladder that her hands were starting to shake once more and he was worried about what was going to happen when she finally crashed. As he stood in front of her as she looked down to her hands in her lap, avoiding his gaze. Oliver knelt down in front of her, tilting her head so he could look in her eyes, and he saw the tears that were threatening to spill over.

Felicity was trying to hold in her tears as Oliver pulled her to her feet. She stepped into his embrace and hid her face in his bare chest, before her tears started to flow freely. She cried for several minutes as Oliver stood there with his strong arms wrapped around her, holding her close. He didn't say a word, just let her cry out the last several hours. Finally, when she could cry no more, she looked sheepishly up into his amazingly blue eyes.

"I'm sorry Oliver." Felicity sniffled. "I didn't mean to cry on you like that."

"Shhh, it's okay Felicity." Oliver replied quietly, not willing to let her go yet. "You have been through so much, not just last night, but in the last few weeks. Sometimes a person just needs to let go of all the pent up emotion."

"Like you do?" Felicity asked sarcastically. She knew he never talked about his emotion much less let them show.

"You see how hard I work out." Oliver replied, knowing that it was the truth. "I work out so much because  _that's_  how I let my emotions out." As Felicity looked at him wide eyed he knew he had to do some more explaining.

"Last night I had a nightmare. In it you were being held by Slade and he… he killed you. Right in front of me." Oliver paused for a moment as he reached up and cupped her face in his hands. He decided to allow all the emotion from the last several hours to be evident on his face and in his voice. "When I woke up I immediately texted Diggle to see if you were okay and when he said that you were gone it was all I could do to not lose my sanity. I was so worried that he was going to hurt you and it was all my fault. I should have protected you and I failed."

"Oliver." Felicity started as she wanted him to know that she didn't blame him, that it wasn't his fault.

"No, let me finish." Oliver said as he placed a finger on her lips to keep her from rambling. "When I heard that you were gone I felt like a piece of me was gone, like the sun was never going to shine in my life again. Do you want to know why? Why I was devastated?" Oliver paused for a moment before Felicity nodded her head indicating that yes, she did want to know what he was thinking.

"It's because I love you!"

 


	11. Interruptions

Felicity's breath caught in her throat.  _What? Did he just say that he loved me? I can't believe he said that!_  She thought as she looked into Oliver's eyes. It was evident by the look on his face that he was telling the truth. She closed her eyes as Oliver leaned closer to her.

Oliver almost got lost in Felicity's beautiful blue eyes before she closed them. He was so close, gently holding her face in his hands, and suddenly he found himself leaning in closer. He closed his eyes just inches from her lips, ready to kiss  _his girl_ – again.

Suddenly the door at the top of the stairs flew open and the voices of Diggle and Sara could be heard as they made their way down into the lair. Oliver groaned as he leaned his forehead against Felicity's, but then he almost laughed at Felicity's groan in response. They had been so close to another kiss. O _f_ course _Diggle and Sara would walk in right this second!_  Oliver thought in irritation.

Diggle and Sara had finished with the errand that they had set out on and had arrived back at the lair. They chatted to each other as they came down the stairs before they both stopped suddenly at the bottom, speechless. Neither of them was expecting the sight before them. Oliver was standing, gently holding Felicity's face, their foreheads touching, and Sara had caught the groan of irritation from Oliver as he heard them descending the stairs. They were clearly interrupting something, and neither Sara or Diggle could help the chuckles that were threatening to come out.

Diggle cleared his throat loudly before walking farther into the lair, not missing the pointed look of annoyance from Oliver as the couple slowly pulled apart.

"We ran by the store to pick up something for you Felicity." Diggle said with a smile, continuing to ignore the flush of red on Felicity's face and the fact that Sara was laughing. "It looked like you didn't have the chance to enjoy your mint chip so we thought we'd bring you some, and then decided that we would make you share." He stated as he pulled the ice cream out of the bag as Sara went to get some bowls and spoons.

Oliver pulled Felicity's chair over to the table so they could all enjoy the ice cream that Diggle and Sara had brought. He was still irritated at the fact that they had been interrupted, but he also knew he would find time later to enjoy a real kiss and he looked forward to that.

"Oh goody!" Felicity said as she spied the rather large tub of Mint Chip. "I never got to dig in last night. Oh! I have a mess to clean up at home." She finished as her face fell at the thought of the mess in her kitchen.

"Don't worry Felicity." Sara said with a smile at the blonde. "I'll help you clean it up later."

They all sat in silence, contemplating everything that had happened that night, as they slowly enjoyed the ice cream. Each processing their own thoughts of guilt, anger, and sadness that they had to work through and each did so silently until the entire bucket of ice cream was gone.

* * *

Slade sat in the car, observing the apartment building, where he had been sitting quietly for the last several hours. He had watched as Sara left the building on her bike a couple of hours ago,  _probably going to go help Oliver rescue Felicity._  He had thought with a smirk on his face. Now though it was just the Detective and his daughter that were left in the apartment.  _This should be easy enough_ he thought as he got out of his car.

Lance sat, watching his daughter sleep on the couch in her apartment. Laurel had left the Lair under Verdant quite quickly after the Team had come back from stopping the weapons dealers. She had not taken Oliver practically yelling at her very well. The two had been quite close before Oliver left on the Gambit and Laurel was obviously struggling now with the fact that there was yet another woman in Oliver's life and that woman was now closer to him than she was.

Lance smiled to himself as he thought of Felicity. The blonde had quite a lot of energy that she brought to the Team and they would probably be lost without her,  _Oliver_ would _be lost without her_ he thought as he remembered what the younger man was like when Oliver first came home from the Island. Oliver had come a long way in the last couple of years and Lance suspected that it had a lot to do with Felicity and her place within the Team.

Lance heard something crash through the window and jumped up to grab his weapon. He spun around looking for the source of the sound when he saw a smoke grenade on the floor just before it began filling the room. Lance ran over to the couch to finish waking Laurel and rush her to her room before she started to breathe in the smoke that was quickly filling room. Just as they reached her bedroom the front door crashed open. Lance shut the door to the bedroom behind his daughter to protect her before he turned and raised his gun at the large man that had walked through the front door to try and protect her. Lance hit the floor when he passed out, but not before he recognized the intruder as none other than Slade Wilson.

* * *

Oliver had just finished his portion of the Mint Chip Ice Cream and was about to ask Felicity what she was thinking, because it was obvious that she was deep in thought, when Sara's phone rang. Sara was only on the phone a few moments before he realized that something had happened and his suspicion was confirmed when she let out a string of curse words in Mandarin. As she hung up her phone before turning and slamming a fist down onto the table.

"Sara?" Oliver asked concernedly as he stood and walked over to her, noticing the look of rage on her face.

"Dad's gone." Sara said, the emotions clear in her voice. "Slade threw a smoke grenade through Laurel's living room window. She was able to get to her bedroom before the front door was kicked down. When she came out Dad was gone."

"Are you sure it was Slade?" Diggle asked, wanting to make sure they looked at all the possibilities.

"Laurel didn't see him, but who else could it be?" Sara responded as she grabbed her bo staff before turning to the stairs.

"Let's go." Oliver said to Diggle as he turned to grab his bow and quiver before they left the lair.

"Oliver!" Felicity called as she quickly rose from her chair and walked over to him. "Be safe! Come back to me!" She said quietly, allowing the emotion to be heard in her voice. There was still so much she hadn't said to him yet and she wanted to be sure she would get the chance.

Oliver smiled as he gently caressed Felicity's face before turning to run out the door.

The Team moved so quickly up the stairs and out the door that they missed Felicity's quiet words, words meant for her hero.

"I love you Oliver!"


	12. Clues

As Lance started to come to he began to remember the events that led up to him passing out. He remembered the sound of the smoke grenade coming though Laurel's living room window, rushing her to her bedroom, and then Slade crashing through the front door.  _Please let Laurel be okay_. He thought as he replayed the last events in his mind. He knew that there was a good possibility that his daughter had been taken as well, but did not know for sure yet.

Lance slowly opened his eyes, blinking several times as he began to adjust to the lighting in the room. He was lying on the cold cement floor of a small cell. There was one heavy metal door at the front of the cell with a small window near the top and a small light hanging in the middle of the room. This looked more like a dungeon cell than the prison cell that he had last woken up in. _At least I could see out of that cell_. He thought grimly to himself. He was getting tired of waking up in a cell as this was the second time this month that had happened.

Lance moved to the back of the cell and waited, not so patiently, to see where he was and why Slade had brought him here.

* * *

Oliver, Sara, and Diggle rushed over to Laurel's apartment. Oliver knew that Sara was right and that it probably was Slade who had taken the Detective. He hadn't had much time to talk with Sara before they left so he was still unsure as to what state Laurel would be in when they got to her place.  _Please let her be uninjured._  He thought as he sped through town on his bike.

"Guys, are you all there?" Felicity asked through the comms as she pulled up the GPS trackers for each of them. She wanted to make sure the Team was online.

"Here." Diggle said from his place in the car.

"Here." Sara stated curtly from her bike.

"I'm here Felicity." Oliver stated a bit calmer than Sara. "Have you gotten any leads yet?" He asked. Oliver knew that she would have instantly started running searches through security camera feeds and traffic cameras to see if she could find anything that they could use to find Lance.

"Nothing yet. It looks like all the cameras have been tampered with." Felicity replied irritably as she typed quickly on her keyboard. "I can pull up current feeds but all video from the last twelve hours has been erased. I'm trying track who cleared those files, but they did a good job of hiding their tracks."

Oliver knew that that was not a good sign. He was really hoping that they would at least get a lead on the car that took Lance so they could track at least that. Without the camera feeds though, their chances of finding him were quickly dwindling.

"We're pulling up to Laurel's apartment building now." Oliver said for Felicity's benefit. He knew he didn't have to keep her informed about where they were because she would be keeping track of them via their GPS's. However, he wanted to make sure she was kept in the loop at all times so that she wouldn't worry about them.

As the Team made their way up to Laurel's apartment they kept a close eye out for any signs that Slade, or any of his men, were still in the area. Diggle made his way through the front door and kept an eye out for any signs of the man through the main entrance and stairway. Sara went through the back entrance also looking for any clues. Oliver simply made his way up the fire escape to Laurel's window to check out any damage from the outside as well as get an idea of where Slade could have been when the smoke grenade was launched through Laurel's window. After a moment of looking around he climbed through the window at the same time that Diggle came through the front door, closely followed by Sara.

"Laurel." Sara called as she quickly crossed the room to her sister who was crying on the couch. "Hey, I'm here now..."

Laurel turned into her sister's shoulder and the tears came faster. She felt like it was her fault that her Dad was gone this time.  _He was protecting_ me _after all._  She thought as her sister rubbed her back and let her just cry. After several minutes she looked up to see Oliver and Diggle looking carefully around her apartment.

"Shouldn't you be out looking for Slade instead of nosing around my apartment Oliver?" Laurel asked accusingly. "He could be torturing my Dad right now and all you are doing is wasting time. You need to get out there and  _find_  him!"

While she was talking Laurel had risen from her place on the couch and walked up to Oliver to get into his face. She was clearly fuming mad and Oliver knew that she had every right to be. He believed that it was his fault that Lance was missing, again. He expected Laurel to be angry with him. However, he did not expect what happened next. One second Laurel was yelling in his face, telling him that it was his fault her Dad was gone and that he should do  _something_  about it and the next she swung and punched Oliver in the jaw. He saw it coming and could have avoided it, but he chose not to, knowing that she had to let off at least some of the frustration from this evening.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Sara said as she ran over to her sister, pulling her into her arms. "Calm down Laurel." Sara couldn't believe that she had just watched Oliver  _let_  Laurel punch him. She knew that her sister wasn't capable of hurting Oliver, however, she was a bit concerned over the fact that he had allowed Laurel to make contact. "Oliver, are you okay?"  _ **  
**_

"Oliver?" Felicity asked over the comms. She had heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh before Sara's question to Oliver asking if he was okay and needed to know that Oliver was not hurt. "Oliver! What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Felicity." Oliver replied quietly as he noticed the look of shock on Laurel's face. It appeared that she didn't realize what she had done until it was too late.

"Oliver, have you found anything yet?" Diggle asked, knowing that the younger man had and he wanted to make sure that Laurel knew that they hadn't been wasting their time.

"This flash drive was on the kitchen counter." Oliver stated as he gave Diggle a look of appreciation. Oliver knew that Diggle had seen him pick up the flash drive when they first searched the apartment while Sara comforted her sister. He turned to Laurel before continuing. "Does this belong to you Laurel?" Oliver asked, wanting to be sure that it did not belong to her before they went back to the Foundry with it.

"No, I've never seen it." Laurel responded. She was clearly still upset with herself for losing control like she had.

"Felicity." Oliver said into the comms as he put the flash drive into his pocket. "We are bringing you something. I'll be there in a few minutes." Oliver told their teammate as he turned to the window. Just before he jumped off the fire escape he turned back to the room. "Meet me there when you're done."

Laurel watched as Oliver jumped off the fire escape to the ground below. It was just moments later when she heard him start up his Ducati and speed away from her apartment building.

"You know he was just looking for some clues." Diggle said reproachfully as he continued to look around. "He was looking for something,  _anything_ , that would help bring your Dad back. Oliver would never intentionally leave a comrade to be hurt at the hands of another. Especially at the hands of Slade." He wanted to make sure that Laurel knew that Oliver wasn't just wasting time, he was trying to find a way to rescue the Detective. Especially as Oliver knew what Slade was really capable of.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking." Laurel said with tears in her eyes. She really hadn't meant to punch Oliver. It just kind of happened. "I didn't hurt him did I?" She asked with wide eyes as what she had done suddenly hit her full force

Diggle and Sara could not help but laugh at Laurel's question. The idea that she could hurt Oliver with just that one small punch was thoroughly entertaining to them.

"No Laurel." Sara said once she had gained a bit of composure. "You most certainly did  _not_  hurt Oliver. He is much tougher than you would think."

"Don't worry about Oliver. Felicity on the other hand..." Diggle stated with a laugh remembering Roy's Lessons. "Well, she won't be too hard to deal with once she remembers what you've been through the last few hours. Don't worry, we won't let her hurt you again." Diggle said as they started to leave the apartment to head to the lair.  _ **  
**_

They rode back to Verdant in silence, Laurel and Diggle in the car and Sara on her bike. Laurel was trying to dry her tears and prepare herself for Felicity's anger when they arrived. Diggle trying not to laugh as he drove back to Verdant. He was curious as to how Felicity was going to react to seeing Laurel again. Sara was following closely behind on her bike. She knew that Laurel had not meant to punch Oliver like she had but yet it had been amusing. Sara was also quite worried about her Dad and what he was suffering at the hands of Slade.

Oliver quickly made his way from Laurel's apartment back to the lair. He knew that Felicity was worried about him and he wanted to reassure her that he was indeed okay. He also wanted to see what kind of leads they could get from the flash drive that Slade had left for them. He knew that there was a reason behind it and he needed to know what that was. He quickly parked his bike before making his way down the stairs into the Lair.

Felicity heard the moment Oliver arrived back at the lair. She had been trying not to worry about him since she heard him get punched, but it was not easy. She didn't know what had caused Laurel to punch him and she was definitely in the mood to give the brunette a piece of her mind, again. As Oliver reached the bottom of the stairs she ran to him, looking him over, to see where and how bad he was hurt. The only thing she could see was a small bruise beginning to form on his jaw. She gently reached up and placed a hand on his cheek as he smiled at her.

"Does it hurt?" Felicity asked as she looked at the forming bruise with concern.

"No." Oliver replied with a small smile.

"Why did she punch you?" Felicity continued to prod for details. She knew it had been Laurel, she just didn't know why since she could only hear the Team through the comms, not everything.  _ **  
**_

"She didn't think we were doing anything to find the Detective." Oliver said quietly, the concern for both Laurel and Lance evident in his voice. "She had just been through so much lately that her emotions got the best of her. I could have dodged her fist, but that would have only made her more upset. It was best to just let it happen. I knew she couldn't hurt me anyway." He explained. He wanted his girl to know that he could have avoided getting hurt at all but he chose to allow Laurel to have an outlet for all her pent up emotions.

"Speaking of Lance. You said you had something for me?" Felicity asked as she slowly took a step back from Oliver. The last thing she wanted to do was take a step back but she knew that she now had some work to do that would be productive.

Oliver produced the flash drive from his pocket and handed it to Felicity. He knew that she was ready to get to work and watched as she turned to her computers.  _I am the luckiest man alive to have such a beautiful, smart woman in my life._  He thought as he slowly walked towards her computer, turning only to put his bow and quiver back in the display case.

Felicity worked quickly to access the data on the flash drive. She was just pulling up the information when Diggle, Sara, and Laurel walked into the lair. After a brief glance at Laurel the blonde decided not to say anything about the punch to Oliver because it was obvious that Laurel was having a hard time with everything that was going on. She didn't miss the brief smile from Oliver as she turned back to her computer.

"Got it." Felicity said with a fist pump.  _I can't believe I_ actually _do that._  She thought with a laugh.

"What do we have Felicity?" Oliver asked as he placed one hand on the back of her chair and the other on her desk leaning over to see what was there. The rest of the group walked over and gathered around the computers.

Felicity clicked on the single file that was on the flash drive. Someone had encoded the file, but it only took her a couple of minutes to work through it. As she clicked on the link that was provided a video feed pulled up unfortunately with no sound. They could see a small cell with no windows. Sitting in the back of the cell they could see Detective Lance leaning against the back wall. He looked to be doing okay from what could be seen but the Team knew that it wasn't possible to know what injures he could have that may not be visible.

"Dad!" Laurel cried as she saw Lance on the computer screen.

Just as Sara reached out to her sister the door of Lance's cell swung open and Slade walked in. It looked as though the two men had a brief conversation before two more men entered the cell and dragged the Detective out.

As Slade turned to walk out the door to follow Lance and the other two men he turned and smiled widely at the camera.

It was evident that the Team was upset at what they had seen so far as evidenced by the string of curses, in English, Russian and Mandarin, that could be heard followed by the sound of another arm breaking off a training dummy.


	13. Lance

Lance looked up from his place on the floor as the door to his cell opened. He watched with bated breath as Slade slowly walked towards him. He knew that the bad was just about to get worse as he noticed the look of anticipation on Slade's face.

"Quentin Lance." Slade said with a smile as he walked towards the man in the back of the cell. "I hope you find your accommodations acceptable."

"Acceptable huh." Lance said with a huff. He didn't feel like dancing around the reason Slade was really here, even though he knew it was  _not_ going to be good.

"You have forged quite an allegiance with Oliver Queen and the Arrow." Slade commented with a sneer. "If only you realized just what kind of man he is." He motioned to the men standing just behind him and they came in to remove Lance from his cell and take him to the next location that he would be needed. As Slade turned to walk out of the room he looked up to the camera above him and smiled knowing that by now Oliver and the Team would be watching. After a moment he turned and followed everyone out the door.

Lance struggled the whole time that they were transferring him to another room. When he saw the chains hanging from the roof he became worried. He knew that Slade was capable of a multitude of things and he was worried about just what he was about to have to endure at the hands of this mad man.

The two men that carried Lance into the room cuffed him with heavy metal manacles, before pulling taut the chain that they were attached to. This meant that Lance was now suspended from the chains in the center of the room. His feet were able to touch the ground but it was still uncomfortable, especially as his ribs were still sore from the recent beating he had received at the hands of Malcolm Merlyn. As he looked around the room he noticed several cameras mounted on the walls.  _I wonder if those are just security cameras?_  He thought to himself just as Slade entered the room.

"Are you comfortable Mr. Lance?" Slade asked with a sneer. He already knew the answer, he just wanted to get on the man's nerves.

"Oh yeah, real comfortable." Lance snapped back sarcastically.  _ **  
**_

"How does it feel?" Slade started as he slowly walked around Lance. "How does it feel to know that everything you have worked for, your family, your career, even your city, have _all_ been destroyed by Oliver Queen?!"

"It wasn't Oliver that took those things from me." Lance stated angrily. "It was Malcolm Merlyn and  _you_  who took them from me."

"Mr. Lance, if only you knew the real story." Slade said as he moved to stand just a couple of feet in front of Lance. "Oliver is the one that was dating the lovely Laurel before he left on the Gambit, isn't that correct?"

Lance refused to give this man the satisfaction of an answer so he simply bit his lip to keep from saying anything.

"In fact, I'm  _sure_ it was as he wore out a picture of her during his time on Lian Yu. But it wasn't Laurel that was on the Gambit with him now was it?" Slade continued as he looked Lance in the eyes, trying to intimidate the man. "In fact, it was your younger daughter that was with him on that boat. Oliver had invited her to go with him instead of Laurel whom he was dating at the time. How did your daughter handle that? Knowing that her playboy boyfriend was on his yacht with her younger sister instead of her. Oliver Queen destroyed your family when he left on the Queen's Gambit. You all believed he killed your younger daughter! He broke your oldest daughter's heart, drove your wife away, and he drove you to drink. How can you not blame him for the destruction of your family?!"

Lance worked very hard to keep a straight face as Slade was talking. He knew the man was partially right about the whole situation. Sara leaving on the Gambit had broken Laurel's heart, as well as made her lost to them for six years. It was true that due to the Gambit going down he had drowned his sorrows in alcohol which in turn drove a wedge between he and his wife. However, Lance also realized that it was not entirely Oliver's fault that all this happened and he now refused to blame him for situations that the young man had had no control over, or that he had already forgiven him for.

"Even when he did return Oliver was the source of many problems for you." Slade continued taunting Lance as he started to slowly pace in front of Lance. "He was the  _Vigilante_  that terrorized your city and you were unable to track him down and arrest him. He caused your daughter to stray from what she knew was right and act outside the law as she assisted him with his  _missions_. Even you began to help him and it was because of your involvement with him that you were demoted from Detective was it not? Now look at you. You have even been arrested for helping him and it has utterly destroyed your career."

Lance knew that Slade was just trying to get under his skin, make him turn his back on Oliver. He was determined, however, that he would  _not_ let Slade succeed in that mission. Lance knew that he and Oliver had not always had the best working relationship; however recent events have helped him to see just what kind of man Oliver Queen really was, and that had only increased Lance's opinion of the younger man and made him even more determined to not give Slade anything.

"Not only has Oliver destroyed your family and your career but also your city." Slade stated as he slowly made his way behind Lance as another man came in the room and handed something to Slade. Lance couldn't make out what it was just yet but had a feeling that he would soon. "When Oliver first started his work as the  _Vigilante_  he was dropping bodies every night. He went on a killing spree that no one in the city could avoid. Then, after the Undertaking, he disappeared again. He was unable to deal with the destruction that was just as much his fault as anyone's. Then the  _Hoods_  tried to take over in his absence and wreaked even more havoc on your city. If Oliver hadn't returned in the first place then they would not have ever gotten the idea.  _ **It is Oliver Queen's fault that your city is on the brink of disaster!**_ " Slade roared.

Lance thought about what Slade was saying. Yes, it was true that when Oliver first returned from the Island that he had dropped a lot of bodies.  _Not that that was necessarily a bad thing seeing as they were all criminals_ _that the SCPD had been unable to bring to justice_ _._  Lance thought to himself. He had come to terms with the Vigilante a long time ago and he knew that Oliver had changed in this last year. He had become less vicious in his mission and had made a very definite difference in the city.  _I'm sure a lot of that has to do with a certain blonde though. It seems that Felicity has really helped Oliver come back from the Island and focus on doing good in the city, the right way._

Lance was so lost in his thoughts that the feeling of whip on his back startled him and caused him to cry out loudly in pain. He felt ten lashes from the whip before Slade walked back around in front of him. As the man came in to view Lance was able to get a good look at the whip that he was using. It was thick and long and it had several knots along it which made it feel like several fists making contact with his body at a time. He didn't think it had cut open his back yet, however he was definitely feeling the places the knots had made contact and was sure that there were several bruises that were already forming from it.  _ **  
**_

Lance couldn't help but think about Oliver while Slade whipped him. He was sure that had it been Oliver in this situation that the younger man would not have even made a sound. Yet here he was screaming out in pain with every lash of the whip. He knew that Oliver had been through a lot, the younger man had even said as much, and Lance hated to think of what exactly he had endured to give him the ability to keep quiet while his back was being laid open with an actual fine whip, not just being beaten up by one.

"How are you feeling now Mr. Lance?" Slade asked as he came back to stand close to Lance.

Lance just glared at the man. Even though his body was screaming in protest due to the beating he refused to say a word, even if he did think it would end if he spoke, which he didn't. He knew Slade was not done with him yet and tried to mentally prepare himself for more.

"Oliver Queen is responsible for the destruction of your family, your career, your city, and now your health." Slade said as he walked around Lance before stopping behind the man yet again. The screams of pain from the man told him that Lance was in quite a lot of pain and he hoped that Lance would believe what he was saying.

Lance could feel the abuse to his ribs as Slade continued to whip him. He knew that Slade was trying to get him to hate Oliver and, if he had not seen what the young man was capable of at the hands of Merlyn, he may have believed what Slade told him. However, he had seen the strength and determination in Oliver and tried to find some of that strength for himself. He felt his body breaking and his voice going hoarse as he screamed with each lash of the whip.

Finally, mercifully, Lance passed out from the pain.

 


	14. Guilt

The Team watched as the men came and removed Detective Lance from his cell right before Slade turned and sneered at the camera. Knowing that Slade had taken the Detective was one thing, but seeing it with their own eyes made everything even more real and infuriated them to the point where Diggle, Sara, and Oliver all let out a string of curses in English, Mandarin, and Russian.

Felicity jumped when she heard the sound of an arm being taken off another training dummy. She turned slowly to see who the culprit was and was not surprised to see that it was Oliver, in his rage, who had amputated the arm. As she looked around she could see Sara trying to comfort Laurel who was crying again. Oliver moved over to the training mats and was walking in circles with his hands in fists. She could see the rage rolling off him in waves. Then there was Diggle, he was clearly upset but only his teammates would notice as he was the stone cold silent type right now.

Turning back to her computers Felicity let out a gasp as she noticed that the video feed had changed. It now showed a large room that had metal manacles hanging by metal chains in the center of the room.

"Guys!" Felicity called worriedly to gain the attention of everyone in the room. "You might want to see this!"

"What now Felicity?" Oliver growled as he walked back towards her computers.

"The video feed just changed." Felicity said as she tapped furiously on her keyboard. "It looks like this is a live feed."

"What makes you think that?" Diggle asked curiously. He knew that it could very well be a recording and was curious why Felicity thought it was live feed.

"It's not a saved file." Felicity responded as she worked furiously on her keyboard. "If it was recorded then the whole thing should be saved onto the drive. This is just a link that he is streaming the video through. Besides he never had time to do this before you found the drive on Laurel's counter top."

"She's right man." Diggle said as he turned to Oliver. "There wasn't enough time between when Lance was taken and when we found the drive for Slade to get this to the apartment. It had to have been planted while he was there."

"Dad!" Laurel cried as she spied people walking through the door in the room. Her Dad was being dragged in, fighting, by two strong men followed by Slade. They brought him to the center of the room and hung him from the chains, ensuring that his feet were able to reach the floor but it still looked incredibly uncomfortable. They were all shocked into silence when they heard sound from Felicity's computers for the first time.

"Are you comfortable Mr. Lance?" The group heard Slade ask.

"Oh yeah, real comfortable." Sara winced at the tone from her Dad as he replied to Slade. She knew that sarcastic tone of voice well and hoped it would not get her Dad in even more trouble.

"How does it feel? How does it feel to know that everything you have worked for, your family, your career, even your city, have  _all_ been destroyed by Oliver Queen?!" Laurel gasped at those words. She didn't know exactly how true they were, but it got her to thinking about everything that had gone wrong in the last several years and what had caused them to happen.

Oliver swallowed his emotions at Slade's words. He knew that they were true, everything that had gone wrong in the last several years  _was_  because of choices that  _he_  had made.  _And now Lance is going to be forced to suffer, again_ ,  _because of me._ He thought darkly.

"It wasn't Oliver that took those things from me. It was Malcolm Merlyn and  _you_  who took them from me." They heard Lance reply with great fervor.  _ **  
**_

"Mr. Lance, if only you knew the real story. Oliver is the one that was dating the lovely Laurel before he left on the Gambit, isn't that correct? In fact, I'm _sure_ it was as he wore out a picture of her during his time on Lian Yu. But it wasn't Laurel that was on the Gambit with him now was it? In fact, it was your younger daughter that was with him on that boat. Oliver had invited her to go with him instead of Laurel whom he was dating at the time. How did your daughter handle that? Knowing that her playboy boyfriend was on his yacht with her younger sister instead of her. Oliver Queen destroyed your family when he left on the Queen's Gambit. You all believed he killed your younger daughter! He broke your oldest daughter's heart, drove your wife away, and he drove you to drink. How can you not blame him for the destruction of your family?!"

The silence in the lair was deafening. Everyone was standing stone still as Slade made his speech. Each person lost in their own thoughts, memories, and feelings.

Diggle knew that a part of what Slade was saying was true. However, he also knew that Oliver had done a great deal of changing in the last year. He knew by the look on Oliver's face that the younger man was having a difficult time with what Slade was telling the Detective and hoped that they would be able to pull him out of the dark places of his mind, again.

Felicity could feel the dread growing with each word that Slade spoke. It had taken her and Diggle a really long time to get Oliver to quit blaming himself for everything that happened with the Gambit and afterwards and now Slade was opening old wounds. He was obviously trying to turn the Detective against Oliver and a small part of her was afraid that it would work. However, after a quick glance at Lance's stony gaze she realized that he knew what Slade was doing and was determined not to let the man win this round. As she turned her gaze to Oliver she recognized the look of guilt and pain evident on his face and in his tense body. It was obvious to her that he believed everything that Slade was saying, he thought that it really was all his fault. It hurt her heart to see the man that she loved to be in so much pain and with so much guilt on his shoulders and right now she wasn't sure what she could say or do to pull him out of his own darkness.

Sara's breath caught at Slade's words. He was blaming Oliver for  _her_ choices,  _her_ mistakes. She felt Oliver tense beside her and Sara knew that he believed what Slade had said. She knew that it wasn't his fault, and Oliver knew it too if he would simply allow himself to believe it. Everything that happened was just as much her fault as anyone's. She would have to make sure that he didn't let Slade get to his head.

Laurel had been listening intently to what Slade was saying. She knew he was right to blame Oliver because it really was his fault that her family had fallen apart. If it hadn't been for him asking Sara to join him then her sister would not have run away on the Gambit, would not have been thought of as dead. If Oliver had not taken Sara with him then her Dad would not have turned into the drunk that he had during the years following the accident. If her Dad had not turned to the alcohol then her Mom would have stuck around and her family would still be whole. She turned to look at Oliver. He was standing there just staring at the computer screens. She saw no emotions on his face, no sympathy in his eyes. He looked like the stone cold killer that she had seen at Iron Heights as the Vigilante and she realized that, even though she had thought he had changed, he really had not. He was still the selfish, spoiled playboy that he always had been.

Oliver stood, muscles tense, as he watched the video feed. He knew that there was truth to Slade's words and had worked very hard to work through the guilt that had plagued him in the last several years. All those feelings surfaced again, though, as he heard Slade blame him for the destruction of the Lance family. He was still staring at the screen as Slade continued.

"Even when he did return Oliver was the source of many problems for you. He was the  _Vigilante_  that terrorized your city and you were unable to track him down and arrest him. He caused your daughter to stray from what she knew was right and act outside the law as she assisted him with his  _missions_. Even you began to help him and it was because of your involvement with him that you were demoted from Detective was it not? Now look at you. You have even been arrested for helping him and it has utterly destroyed your career."

"He's wrong Oliver." Sara said as she turned to look at her Teammate. "Dad chose to help you. It is  _not_  your fault!"

"Sara's right Oliver." Felicity said as she turned to look at Oliver who was still tense beside her. "Detective Lance made the decision to help you. He didn't have to keep helping, or turning to you when he needed assistance. He  _chose_  to do so!"

"Just like it was my decision to go on the Gambit with you." Sara said with passion. She refused to let him wallow in his guilt when it was not completely his fault. "Slade is just trying to turn him against you. Look at his face though Oliver! Dad knows that Slade is wrong, that it is  _not_ your fault. Dad is  _not_  going to let Slade win with him. Don't let it destroy you either!"

Their attention was again drawn to the screens as Slade continued to speak to Detective Lance.

"Not only has Oliver destroyed your family and your career but also your city. When Oliver first started his work as the  _Vigilante_  he was dropping bodies every night. He went on a killing spree that no one in the city could avoid. Then, after the Undertaking, he disappeared again. He was unable to deal with the destruction that was just as much his fault as anyone's. Then the  _Hoods_ tried to take over in his absence and wreaked even more havoc on your city. If Oliver hadn't returned in the first place then they would not have ever gotten the idea.  _ **It is Oliver Queen's fault that your city is on the brink of disaster!**_ "

Everyone heard Oliver growl as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. He had seen the third man walk into the room and recognized what he was carrying. He clenched his fists as he saw Slade prepare to use the whip in his hand on the Detective while Lance was lost in his own thoughts. Oliver almost didn't stop his flinch as the whip made contact with the Detective's back. He still vividly remembered the feel of the leather laying open his own back and, even though he could see that the whip was not cutting into the Detective's back, he knew that it was still hurting. He felt for the man as Oliver could tell there would already be bruises forming on the man's body, knew that there would be broken and cracked ribs to add to all the pain the man was already going through no small thanks to the fact that Merlyn had already bruised and cracked many of Lance's ribs already.

"This is all  _your_  fault Ollie!" Laurel screamed. "If you hadn't been so  _stupid_  then Dad would not be in this situation. If you had only been man enough to make the right decision and  _not_  gotten on that  _stupid_  boat then my family would still be intact, my Dad would still have his detective badge, and my Mom would still be at home. You are just a stupid, spoiled, selfish son of a billionaire who thinks he should always get his way." Laurel continued her rant as she got up in Oliver's face, again. Suddenly she turned and grabbed her jacket before storming out of the Lair throwing one final comment over her shoulder.  _"_ I  _never_  want to see you again Oliver Queen." She yelled before slamming the door to the lair closed behind her.

Before anyone had a chance to respond Oliver's phone rang.

"Oliver!" Thea cried into the phone.

"Thea! What's wrong?" Oliver could tell instantly that something had happened as his sister was in hysterics on the phone with him.

"It's Roy. He's gone!"


	15. Gone

"What's wrong Oliver?" Felicity asked as she stood from her chair to put a comforting hand on his arm. She could tell that something bad had just happened by the look of anger and worry on his face.

"Roy's gone." Oliver responded as he turned to Felicity. He saw his own concern mirrored in her eyes. "I'm going to go over to the mansion and find out what happened." He said before turning to grab his gear.

"I'm coming with you." Diggle said as he grabbed his coat as well. "I need to see where the security breach came from."

"I'm going to go find Laurel." Sara said as she grabbedher bo staff. "It's not safe for her to be out there alone right now."

"While you guys are gone I'm going to keep trying to trace this signal and see if I can't get a location." Felicity said as she sat back down to start work on her computers again, trying not to be distracted by the video feed of Lance hanging unconscious. "Please stay on the comms and keep me updated!"

"Of course Felicity." Oliver said as he laid a hand on her shoulder before turning to leave the lair. He sped towards the mansion on his Ducati, thinking about everything that had happened recently. He was worried that Slade was going to go after his family soon and that thought scared him more than anything ever had. He had spent the last couple of years doing everything that he could to keep his family, and his city, safe and he felt as though he was utterly failing at that right now.

Felicity sat in the lair working at her computers as she brought up the GPS signals for the Team. She tried to locate Roy's but it seemed as though his had either been destroyed, or they were being blocked by something. She then went to work on trying to figure out anything that would help them locate Detective Lance and bring him home again before he was hurt even more.

* * *

As soon as Thea got off the phone with Oliver she went back to pacing around the living room in the mansion. Her Mom and Walter were discussing who knew what with the security team.  _Sounds like someone is in some serious trouble._ She thought as she heard the tone of voice her Mom was using. She was trying really hard, and failing miserably, to not worry about Roy. However, he had never just disappeared and ignored her when she tried to reach him. He was always available to her and the fact that she couldn't reach him at all had her extremely worried. Her heart skipped a beat as her phone vibrated in her hand to signal a text and she noticed it was from Roy.

_Hey babe, had to run an errand. At my place. Meet me here? - Roy_

"What is he doing out there?" She thought out loud as she quickly made her way to the garage to head out to Roy's house. She decided on her way out there that they could go by Verdant when they were done with whatever it was Roy was up to and see how Oliver and the Team were doing. As she pulled up outside Roy's house she was relieved at the fact that he was apparently safe.  _I'm going to kick his ass for not telling me he left though!_ She thought as she let herself in the front door.

Thea fully expected to see someone in the house when she went in. She just didn't expect it to be Slade.

* * *

Oliver skidded to a stop in front of the mansion. He quickly climbed off his bike and walked inside looking for his family.

Oliver walked quickly through the foyer as he looked for his family. He went into the living room where his Mom and Walter were yelling at the Security detail.

"Finally." Moira stated as she saw Oliver walk in the room in his full Arrow gear followed closely by Diggle. She had to remind herself not to call Oliver by name while anyone else was in earshot.  _ **  
**_

"Are you guys okay?" Oliver asked, the concern clear in his voice.

"We are fine." Walter replied quickly as Moira dismissed the security detail. "However, young Mr. Harper is still missing."

Just as Oliver was about to respond his phone rang. As he went to answer his phone he noticed it was Thea calling.  _Why is she calling me if I'm here?_

 _"_ Hello?" Oliver answered his phone.  _ **  
**_

"Hello Oliver!"

Oliver stiffened at the sound of the Australian accent on the other end of the line. He was filled with dread as he realized what this meant.

"Slade." Oliver responded. He knew that Diggle would catch what was going on and that was confirmed when Diggle turned quickly to look at him with a look of disbelief. "Where is Thea?" Oliver growled into the phone as he walked away from his Mom and Walter.

"She is with her lovely Mr. Harper." Slade responded with a sneer. "Don't worry. I haven't hurt her. Yet."

"Slade, I swear, if you hurt so much as one hair on her head..." Oliver threatened.

"You'll what? Drive an arrow through my eye?" Slade taunted. "How'd that work out for you last time kid? I warned you that attachments only make you weak. Well now you have to choose which attachment means more to you - your attachment to your sister Thea, or to your  _Team._ If you want to have any chance of getting your sister back then you come to the docks, alone. Oh, and be sure to ditch the GPS trackers. We can't have anyone following you!"

Slade hung up the phone before Oliver could respond. He knew that going without backup was going to be a really bad idea, however, he couldn't just leave Thea at the mercy of Slade. He turned to Diggle as the other man walked up to him, concern evident on his face.

"What's up man?" Diggle asked, he knew that Thea had been taken by Slade, again, because of the bits of conversation that he heard from Oliver's phone call. He was concerned that Oliver was going to try to go off on his own to hunt down Slade and that he would end up hurt.

"Slade took Thea." Oliver answered and he cringed slightly when he heard his Mom's cry behind him. "I'm meeting him at the docks to get her back."

"I'm coming with you." Diggle replied, knowing that the younger man would need backup for this.

"I have to go alone." Oliver quietly replied.

"Oliver, No!" Felicity said through the comms, the concern clear in her voice. She had heard most of what was about to happen and it worried her to no end. "Oliver, you can't go alone!"

"I have to Felicity." Oliver stated quietly and matter of factly. "If I don't he's going to hurt Thea and I can't let that happen. Not when I can do something about it."

Diggle stepped away from Oliver to keep Moira from interrupting the conversation between Felicity and Oliver and to give them a bit of privacy. He could still hear everything that was being said and he felt for Felicity, back at the lair and unable to do anything to keep Oliver safe.

"Oliver, please don't go. You don't know what he has planned." Felicity said, her emotions clear in the cracking of her voice.

"None of us do Felicity. But I can't just let him do whatever he wants to  _my sister._ " Oliver said, trying to make her see that he didn't have a choice.

"I do." Felicity said with tears in her voice. "I know what he has planned and I'm begging you,  _don't go!"_

"How do you know?" Oliver asked curiously.

"Because he told me. When he was holding me." Felicity cried as she answered, remembering her time in Slade's custody clearly.

"What did he tell you Felicity?" Diggle asked concernedly.

"It doesn't matter right now." Oliver interrupted. He knew that if Felicity told him what Slade had planned then it would just be a distraction for him and that was the last thing he needed right now.

"I need to get going." Oliver said as he reached down to remove the tracker from his boot.

"What are you doing man? Leave that in there!" Diggle said as he saw what Oliver was doing.

"What is he doing?" Felicity asked, getting more concerned as the seconds ticked by.

"Taking his GPS trackers out!" Diggle answered the worried IT tech.

"Oliver! You leave those in there!" Felicity demanded. She knew that if he took those out then there was no way she would be able to send in reinforcements if he got hurt or even worse captured.

"I have to." Oliver replied, going into full Arrow mission mode. "I can't risk Slade hurting Thea because I didn't do what he told me to and the first thing he's going to do is check to see if I followed his instructions."

Moira listened to Oliver and Diggle's conversation and became increasingly worried for her children. It was evident that Thea had been abducted by Slade, again, and Oliver was going to go get her back. However, the way that Diggle was taking the news had her worried, as well as the fact that Oliver was removing all the GPS trackers in his suit and equipment.

"Oliver?" Moira asked cautiously.

"I'm going to go get Thea back Mom." Oliver said in response to the questioning look on her face.

"Please be careful!" Moira said as she pulled Oliver into a tight hug. "Come back to me safe my beautiful boy!"

"Oliver." Diggle started to say as Oliver turned to walk out the door.

"Keep my family safe Digg." Oliver said as he placed his hand on Diggle's shoulder for just a moment before continuing out to his bike and leaving the mansion.

Oliver raced across town towards the docks. He knew that he was probably heading into a trap, however, he could not pass up the opportunity to get his sister to safety. As he reached the edge of the docks the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He knew right then that he would not be walking away from this uninjured.  _I just hope that I can get Thea to safety before anything happens._  He thought as he pulled up to the dock where he was to meet Slade.

Oliver got off his bike as soon as he saw Slade standing before him.

"Hello kid!" Slade said with a sneer.

"Where's Thea?" Oliver asked even as his feeling of dread grew.

"Don't worry. You'll see her soon." Slade responded with a knowing look on his face.

Just as Oliver started to respond he felt a prick in his neck. Reaching up he pulled out an empty dart that he now knew had held a sleep inducing drug in it. Oliver dropped to his knees and one small phrase left his lips before he fell unconscious to the ground.

"I'm sorry Felicity!"


	16. Taken

Slowly Thea started to come to. She opened her eyes for a brief moment but closed them again quickly as she was temporarily blinded by the light in the room. As she sat there she started to try to move but when she attempted to move her arms, then legs, she realized that she must be tied to a chair as she was sitting upright but unable to go anywhere. She then slowly blinked her eyes open so that she could take in her surroundings.  _ **  
**_

When Thea was finally able to see the first thing she noticed was Roy in front of her. He was tied to a board that was semi upright with an IV going into his arm and there was faint bruising on his face and bare chest.

"Roy?" Thea called out to her boyfriend. "Roy, please wake up!"

Thea called out to Roy for several minutes, her voice starting to get a bit hoarse from the yelling, before she realized that he was not going to wake up and she wondered just what it was that the IV contained that was apparently keeping him knocked out. As she looked around for some way out of here she realized that they were in a small room that only contained the board that Roy was tied to, the chair she was sitting in, and a TV screen in the corner. She started to cry as she realized that there was no way that they could get out of there without help. She knew that Oliver would come looking for them and was scared at the thought of him having to go up against Slade for her, again.

As Thea sat in the silence of the little room she thought back to how she came to be in this situation. She had walked into Roy's house, eagerly anticipating seeing him alive and well after the scare of the last hour, only to find Slade there instead. Her stomach dropped as she realized, a second too late, why he was there. She turned to run out the door but was caught by a rough hand on her wrist. The next thing she knew there was a cloth being held to her mouth that smelled strange and she then fell into the Slade's arms unconscious.  _I should have known it wasn't Roy who texted me._  Thea realized suddenly as she thought back to the text she had received from Roy's phone.  _He never calls me babe!_

* * *

Felicity sat in the Lair typing furiously at her computers. She was furious at Oliver, for going, alone, without even his GPS trackers. She knew it had been a trap, and he did too and  _still_  he went. She knew that he was driven by the need to protect his sister and that it was eating him up inside knowing that Thea was in Slade's custody again. However, that did not stop the feeling of dread that grew by the second when she heard that he was going. She made sure to mute her mic on her comms unit so that Oliver wouldn't hear her trying not to cry and get distracted by the sound.

Felicity had pulled up the traffic camera feeds along the route that Oliver was taking to the docks so that she could keep track of him since he didn't have his GPS trackers. She watched as he sped across town to hopefully rescue his sister. On another monitor she pulled up the security cameras from the docks so that she could hopefully warn him if she saw anything out of place. She watched Oliver pull into the docks, find Slade, and dismount his bike. It wasn't until it was too late though that she saw the man that was hiding with the dart gun.

Felicity let out a cry as she saw Oliver going down and she heard his words. "I'm sorry Felicity!"

Felicity could not help the flood of tears as suddenly the cameras at the docks all went black and she lost sight of Oliver. It took her a moment before she could compose herself enough to talk to Diggle.

"Diggle!" Felicity finally managed to say into the comms.

"What's wrong Felicity?" Diggle asked, suddenly even more concerned for his friend and teammate as he heard the tears in Felicity's voice. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, but Oliver's not!" Felicity responded, her voice full of emotion.

"What do you mean?" Diggle asked, confused as to how she would know this.

"I followed him on the traffic cameras to the docks, and then on the security feeds from there. Slade was waiting for him, without Thea. There was a man with a dart gun who shot him and knocked him out before I could warn him. I couldn't even warn him John! I don't know what to do! What if he's hurt, or been taken?" Felicity rambled. Diggle could clearly hear the concern in her voice and was worried as well. He was happy that she had thought to follow Oliver on the cameras, but was also worried for her as she was now in near hysterics.

"I'll head down to the docks to see if I can find anything. Keep me posted." Diggle replied as he hurried to leave the mansion. "Can you see if you can find anything on the security cameras from the mansion? See if you can find out what happened to Roy?" He knew that giving her another task would help keep her from a meltdown, at least he hoped it would.

* * *

Lance groaned as he started to wake up. He was in a huge amount of pain, everywhere, and his throat was dry from the screaming that he had done. He remembered Slade whipping him with that thick, knotted whip and knew he had a whole new list of injures no thanks to the lashings he had received from it. As he slowly lifted his head to look around he realized that he was still chained up in the room with the cameras.  _There are too many of them to be just security cameras._  He thought as he worried about what other uses they may have.

What seemed like an eternity later a man came in with a bottle of water and allowed Lance to have a drink. It didn't help with his dehydration much, but Lance was thankful that it helped alleviate his parched, sore throat some. When the man walked out Lance was again left alone with his own thoughts.  _I wonder how long it will take Sara and the Team to find me this time?_  He thought. He knew that Sara and Oliver would come looking for him just as they did last time. He was more worried this time however simply because it was Slade and Lance knew that the game had changed when the man didn't die after the last attempt on his life.

It was a relatively short period of time later that Lance heard movement outside the door. He strained to hear what was going on but was unable to distinguish what was being said. It was just moments later when the door slammed open, startling him, and several men walked in. They were dragging someone in and it took only a moment for Lance to recognize the green leather of Oliver's Arrow outfit. They brought Oliver to the center of the room and unceremoniously dropped him to the floor, before moving to Lance and releasing him from his restraints. Lance thought for just a moment that he might be taken out of the room, but was proven wrong when instead they moved him to another set of chains that they had hung during the transition.

Lance hung to the side of the room, helpless, as he watched the men remove Oliver's leather jacket and shirt before hanging him from the chains that he had just vacated. However, instead of letting Oliver hang in a way that he could still reach the ground, they raised him just enough to where Oliver would only be able to reach the floor with the tip of his boots. Lance knew that, between the fact that they were hanging Oliver in such a way, and that he was still unconscious, their chances of escape had just dwindled considerably.  _Come on Oliver. Wake up and get us out of here!_  He thought as they both hung in the room for an unknown amount of time as he had long since lost track of the amount of time that was passing.

Thea looked up from where she was watching Roy when the TV in the room came on. As she looked at the picture she could see Detective Lance hanging in the middle of the room. Suddenly the one and only door to the room burst open and a group of men walked in, dragging someone in with them. It only took a moment for Thea to realize that it was Oliver.

"No! Oliver!" Thea cried as she watched the men drop him on the floor before moving Detective Lance to another set of chains in the room. She couldn't help but wince when they forcibly removed Oliver's jacket and shirt before roughly pulling him up by his wrists, which were now in the heavy metal manacles attached to the chains. She had known that Oliver would come looking for them, she had simply hoped that he would not get captured as well.

Back in the Lair Felicity was furiously working on her computers when she glanced up to check on Detective Lance. What she saw instead caused her heart to skip a beat. There, hanging in the middle of the room, instead of Detective Lance was none other than Oliver. She knew that nothing good would come from him hanging like that and her mind went back to the last time she had seen him chained up like that and the memories overwhelmed her.

Felicity had to run to the bathroom as her stomach started to churn. Once she had emptied her stomach of all of its contents she sat on the cold bathroom floor, crying.

"I begged you not to go!"

 


	17. Paradigm Shift

Sara had found Laurel fairly easily. Her sister had decided that she needed some fresh air and had therefore started to walk slowly home. After catching up with her Sara turned off the comms unit so that they could sit and talk privately for a while. Sara knew that if she was needed they knew how to get a hold of her.

"You can't blame Ollie for everything you know." Sara quietly said as she stared off into space. "Not everything is his fault."

"Yes it is!" Laurel responded heatedly. "He never should have invited you onto the Gambit while he was dating me! That was really low, even for him. Besides, because of that stupid choice he made he ruined everything. He destroyed our family, Dad's career, we even thought you were dead for  _six years_!"

"You're right." Sara agreed. "He shouldn't have asked me. But, I should have told him no as well. Especially since I knew you two were dating. That is not his fault and neither is the fact that we were lost at sea. The Gambit was sabotaged." Sara admitted to her sister as she turned to look at her. She was not surprised by the look of shock on her face.

"What do you mean?" Laurel asked, the surprise evident in her voice. "Who would want to do that?"

"Malcolm Merlyn." Sara answered, wanting to be completely honest with her sister so that Laurel could see that she was judging Oliver too harshly. "The Queens were involved in the Undertaking from the beginning. When Oliver and his Dad left on the Gambit it was right after Robert told Malcolm that he wanted nothing more to do with the venture and that they were done with it. Malcolm didn't take to that too kindly and sabotaged the Gambit. We hit a Category 2 storm while at sea and during that storm a small explosive ripped open the hull like a can of tuna. That's when Oliver and I were separated."

Laurel couldn't believe what her sister was telling her. She had always blamed Oliver for the fact that Sara had been lost to them, presumed dead, for six years. Now Sara was saying that it wasn't his fault - that the Gambit went down because of Merlyn, it had nothing to do with Oliver. Besides that, it wasn't even really Oliver's fault that Sara was even on the boat if she took what Sara said to heart.

Laurel stood and walked a few steps away, lost in thought and still in complete shock from what she had just heard.  _I know Sara had to make the choice, and she could have chosen not to go. But does that make it okay?_  She thought as she struggled to digest everything that her sister had just told her.

"Oh no!" Laurel said as she turned to her sister with tears in her eyes. "I owe Oliver a  _huge_  apology. I never even stopped to consider the fact that it wasn't completely his fault. I just always blamed him for  _everything_ and never even stopped to consider the fact that you even had a choice in the matter! I'm so sorry Sara!"

Sara pulled her sister into a tight hug as Laurel cried. She was happy that her sister had finally had a paradigm shift, to use Felicity's phrase. She could see that Laurel had finally realized that not everything was Oliver's fault and now she simply hoped that Laurel would also see what kind of a man Oliver had become.  _ **  
**_

"Come on, we need to head back to Verdant." Sara said after a few minutes. She knew that it was not safe for them to be away for too long and wanted to be sure she was available to the Team if she was needed.

As Sara and Laurel descended the stairs Sara was instantly on alert. She knew that she had left Felicity in the lair to do some research. The blonde was trying to find out where her Dad had been taken based off the video feed they had been watching. She hadn't heard anything else as she had been off the comms for some time while she was dealing with Laurel. What had her concerned now was the fact that Felicity was nowhere to be seen.

As Sara reached the bottom of the stairs she realized that she heard crying coming from the bathroom in the back and went to investigate as Laurel went over to the bank of computers. Sara found Felicity, curled up on the bathroom floor, crying her eyes out.  _ **  
**_

"Felicity! What's wrong?" Sara asked as she knelt down in front of the blonde. She had never seen Felicity like this and that thought concerned her.

"Oliver!" Felicity chocked out between sobs. "He's gone."

"What do you mean he's gone Felicity?" Sara asked, becoming concerned for Oliver. "Where did he go?" She knew that Oliver and Diggle had gone to the Mansion to deal with the fact that Roy was missing, but she had no information other than that. It seemed as though a lot had happened while she was out. _ **  
**_

"He went to the Mansion, looking for Roy." Felicity said as her crying finally ended. "When he got there Thea was gone too. Oliver got a call from Thea's phone, but it was Slade. He went to the dock to try and get Thea back but got knocked out by a dart before he could do anything. Now we have no idea where he is!"

"Have you looked up his location via GPS trackers?" Sara asked, knowing that Felicity had installed several trackers in Oliver's suit, boots and other equipment and not understanding why she didn't know where Oliver was.

"He took them all out!" Felicity stated, clearly agitated.

"Why?" Sara asked, confused as to why in the world Oliver would do that.

"Because Slade told him that he had to or else." Felicity said quietly, eyes downcast.

"Come on. Let's get off this cold bathroom floor." Sara said as she slowly pulled Felicity to her feet. "Do you need anything?"

"Water please." Felicity responded, gratefulness evident in her voice. "Just give me a minute to clean up. I'll be right out."

"Take your time." Sara said as she walked out of the bathroom. She knew that Oliver and Felicity loved each other and she really felt for the blonde as this whole situation was obviously getting to her.

Sara and Felicity walked back towards the computers at the same time, Felicity from the bathroom and Sara from the fridge in the corner. Sara was instantly worried again as she noticed Laurel was standing stone still staring at the video feed again.

"What's wrong Laurel?" Sara asked as she walked up next to her sister. She was not expecting what she saw. She knew that Oliver had been captured but, she had just not been expecting to see him hanging in the room with her Dad. She knew that Slade had him and was extremely worried about what this meant.

"Your Dad's awake." Felicity told the girls as she sat back down in her desk chair. "He woke up a little bit before they brought Oliver in. They brought him some water but that's it."

"At least they brought him  _something."_ Laurel said almost in a growl.

Felicity almost laughed at the growl from Laurel, and she would have had the situation been different, as she heard one from Sara at the same time.  _They are definitely sisters._  She thought as she noticed the murderous looks on both sisters faces.  _Sara's going to want to kill Slade and everyone else involved in this whole mess._

They all sat in silence for a while as Felicity worked away at her computers. Laurel sat staring at the video feed of Oliver and her Dad. Sara sat divided between the video, Laurel, and Felicity. Felicity worked furiously to find anything she could in the footage from the mansion. This is what caused her to draw the attention of the other two women a short time later.

"What in the world?" Felicity said quite surprised. _ **  
**_

"What's wrong Felicity?" Sara asked, noting the look of confusion on the blonde's face.

"I'm going through the video feed from the mansion and just came across something weird." Felicity said as she typed furiously on her keyboard. "There seems to be quite a large signal coming from the Mansion that doesn't match any records."

"What is it for?" Laurel asked, clearly interested now.

"I'm trying to get access now." Felicity responded. She worked furiously for a few more moments before she pumped her fist in triumph. "Got it!" She said as she brought the information up on one of her monitors.

"What the hell?" Laurel said as they was several video feeds come up on the screen.

"That's the Queen Mansion." Sara stated, clearly recognizing many of the rooms that were shown on the screen. "Who does that belong to?"

"These are  _not_  part of the security system." Felicity responded with a look of concern. "In fact, it has the same footprint as the feed from Slade."

The three women sat in silence for a moment as the significance of those words settled in.

"That means that Slade has been watching the Mansion!" Felicity said with a great amount of concern.

* * *

Thea had been sitting in her chair for what had seemed like hours. She had been alternating between watching Oliver on the TV in the room and staring at Roy. She was really concerned about both of the men seeing as both of them were still unconscious, at least it seemed that way to her. She knew that Roy was still out due to the IV as she had come to realize that it was a sedative that was being delivered via the IV. Oliver, however, had not so much as even budged since they had hung him in that room. She sat there willing both men to wake up, and soon.

Suddenly Thea noticed movement on the TV and couldn't help the dread as she saw Slade enter the room, carrying a whip.


	18. History Lesson

Lance had been hanging in the same room as Oliver for what now seemed like an eternity. Of course, he had lost all real sense of time as there was nothing in the room to indicate it's passing so it could have only been a few minutes. Regardless, Lance knew that the fact that Oliver was still passed out was not a good thing. He knew that the younger man had an uncanny ability to bounce back from things quicker than most people and the fact that he was still out was not good.

Oliver slowly started to wake from his drug induced sleep.  _No thanks to Slade and his tricks_. He thought. As he slowly came to he made sure that he did not give any indication that he was coming round just yet. He needed to discover if he was alone, and if not then who else was there. He listened closely and could hear the breathing of one other person in the room, but he was unable to distinguish who it was before the door swung open. He kept his breathing even so as not to give away to the person coming in that he was awake.

Lance jumped when the door swung open. He was not anticipating it and the sounds startled him, drawing his attention away from the unconscious form of Oliver a few feet away. He cringed when he realized that it was Slade who was coming in, and he was carrying a whip. The whip looked different than the one that Slade had used on him. It looked to be a lot finer, more like the whip that Malcolm had used on Oliver not that long ago. Slade slammed the door shut behind him before moving over towards Lance.

"Mr. Lance, how do you like your new prison mate?" Slade asked with a sneer.

Lance decided to remain silent, again not wanting to give Slade the satisfaction of hearing how worried he was about Oliver. Besides, his throat was still very sore from screaming during the lashings he had received at the hands of Slade previously and he didn't want to say something to upset the man and gain him more lashes with the new whip.

"You still refuse to talk then?" Slade asked before moving away from Lance. "Well let's see if Oliver wants to talk to me then." He said as he walked up in front of Oliver.

Oliver knew almost instantly that it had been Slade who had walked through the door and the thought of what he had planned sent chills down his spine. He listened carefully as Slade stopped to talk to Detective Lance and was a bit surprised that the man didn't say anything in response. It was a moment later when Oliver sensed that Slade had moved closer to him.

Slade had been very specific with the sedative that they had used on Oliver. He only wanted the younger man out for just over an hour and as that time had already passed he knew that Oliver was alert.  _At least he took something from the training I gave him_. He thought as he saw that Oliver was simply not showing he was alert.  _I know just how to get his attention._  He thought with a smirk as he punched Oliver in the jaw. He punched hard enough for it to hurt, but not quite enough to break the kid's jaw.

Oliver had heard Slade's words as he moved but, he did not have time to brace for the impact of Slade's fist on his jaw. Slade punched with such force that Oliver's head turned to the side with the momentum of the impact. Thankfully, though, Oliver could tell that nothing had been broken. He opened his eyes as he turned back towards Slade and pinned him with his "Arrow glare", as Felicity called it.

"Hello brother." Slade said as he stood in front of Oliver. The look he was getting from the younger man was almost comical. He had seen that glare when Oliver came to him after he abducted Thea and the look had amused him then as well. "Good to see you are no longer pretending."

Oliver continued to simply glare at Slade. He could see the Detective in his peripheral vision, but didn't want to take his eyes of Slade to check on his condition.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Slade asked, a bit amused at the fact that it seemed Oliver would be as silent as Lance had been.  _Well, not exactly silent, just not in the mood for conversation._ He thought with a laugh. He was going to enjoy what he had planned.  _I wonder what Miss Smoak is thinking, knowing what I have planned for Oliver. Time to see if she told him._

Oliver watched as Slade stood in front of him with the look of a madman. He simply hoped that whatever punishment Slade had planned would be given to him instead of Lance as the Detective had already been through so much.

"Did Felicity tell you about our discussion?" Slade nonchalantly as he took a few steps away from Oliver. "We had quite a fun time talking about you when she came for a visit." He said as he turned back to look at the man he had called brother, noting the murderous look on his face at the mention of Felicity. "She was quite worried for you when I told her everything that we were going to do together. She seemed particularly worried about our first order of business as apparently someone recently had the same idea. Unfortunately for you, we are not going to be interrupted as he was."

"Did you know that the Australian Army used whipping as a means of punishment for unruly prisoners?" Slade asked as he slowly paced in front of Oliver.  _Time to give the kid a history lesson_. He thought to himself. "Even years after our independence was gained we continued to use whipping as the main method of keeping prisoners in line. We would tie them up, much as you are now, before administering the punishment." Slade stopped his pacing right in front of Oliver to continue the  _lesson_. "Aren't you even curious about how I know all of this?" He asked the younger man.

Oliver knew that he was about to get a brutal whipping, however he still chose not to say a word to Slade. He didn't want to give the man any kind of satisfaction at all. He simply continued to glare in response to Slade's words.

"I guess not." Slade said in response to Oliver's silence. "What about you Detective? Does this interest you at all?" He said, taunting the men, looking to see if he could get a reaction. When all he got in response was stony silence he turned back to Oliver before he continued. "My father worked as a guard in Pentridge Prison in Melbourne. He was in charge of handing out punishment to prisoners up until 1958. They used lashings from the whip or hanging as punishment in the prison, since they obviously were already imprisoned. It was my Father who handed out the last of the lashings to a prisoner by the name William John O'Meally. The man didn't handle it very well and passed out three times before the allotted number of lashings were delivered. They simply had to keep reviving him until the punishment was completed. My Father told me that his back looked like it had been shredded when he was through, the whip coated so thickly in blood that it was dripping from it."

Lance felt like he was going to be sick. From the way Slade was talking he was going to duplicate the same punishment on Oliver.  _Oliver's back was bad enough after Malcolm was done with it. I dread what it's going to look like when Slade is through._ Lance thought as he noticed Slade starting to unwind the whip in his hand.

"This was my Father's whip, an Australian stockwhip." Slade said as he unwound the whip to let it hang at its full length. "He gave it to me when I joined A.S.I.S. right after he told me the story of Mr _ **.**_ O'Meally. He wanted me to be prepared for anything I might face. Thanks to him I am!" Slade suddenly grabbed the cane handle at the point that it connects to the thong and quickly hit Oliver's side with it, letting him see how painful the entire thing could be.  _ **  
**_

"You destroyed the Lance family when you took Sara onto the Gambit. You are the reason that his family was devastated. You are also the reason that he was demoted, you shattered his reputation. You also ruined Laurel as it was your actions that drove her to drink. _You_ are the reason that he is here today, the reason he has experienced a whip as well. He wanted for so long to see you  _dead_ , to hurt you himself." Slade paused for a moment as he walked around to stand behind Oliver. "Well, since he doesn't have the guts to do it himself I will assist him!" Slade said as he landed the first lash to Oliver's back.  _ **  
**_

* * *

Thea sat, eyes transfixed to the TV on the wall. She had watched as Slade moved into the room, carrying the whip. It had scared her when he told the story of his Father and Mr. O'Meally. She jumped a bit in her chair when Slade hit Oliver with the handle of the whip and was surprised when he didn't even flinch, she had not been expecting that at all. She watched with dread as Slade slowly moved behind Oliver as he talked about how it was Ollie's fault that the Lance family had fallen apart and she really felt for her brother. Thea knew it wasn't all his fault and she hoped that he would see that as well. When Slade mentioned the fact that Detective Lance had wanted him dead she felt the dread growing.

Thea watched in horror as Slade drew back the whip before delivering the first lash to Oliver's back. She knew she would always remember the resounding crack of that whip, even in her dreams... and nightmares.

"Ollie!"


	19. Choices

Oliver gritted his teeth as he felt the first lash on his bare back. He had known when Slade had told him the story about his father and the whipping that he had delivered that he was going to be in big trouble. The fineness of the whip, combined with the fact that he was hanging, drawing his skin tight on his back, and the strength of the Mirakuru in Slade meant that this was going to be brutal. He had prepared himself as well as he could mentally for what was about to happen.  _I can't let him hear me scream. I know Felicity is probably watching and it will just hurt her more if I do. I have to hold it together for her!_ He thought to himself as he remembered the video feed of Lance being whipped in this same room. He knew the video feeds were still going as he could see the telling red lights on the cameras. Besides, there was no way that Slade would miss out on the chance to hurt those close to him.

Lance watched in horror as Slade methodically delivered lash after lash of the whip. He looked closely at Oliver's face and could not see even the faintest sign from Oliver that he was being tortured. He knew from when Merlyn had held them that Oliver had a very high tolerance for pain, but Lance was surprised at the young man's determination. He had felt weaker by the minute as he had been unable to hold in his screams of pain as Slade had whipped him with the thicker whip.  _I can't even imagine the amount of pain that that finer whip must be inflicting!_  He thought as Slade completed the tenth lash of the whip.

After ten lashes of the whip Slade stopped for a moment and admired his handiwork. He wanted everyone to know just how much this was hurting Oliver even if the kid didn't make a sound. After a moment he walked around in front of Oliver before addressing the two men hanging in the room.

"Do you know what this whip is called in Australia?" Slade asked as he held the whip, dripping with Oliver's blood, in full view of the men. "It's the King of Whips. It's called that because it's the fastest of whips. Most men could only handle about fifty lashes from it. There were precious few, the strongest of them all, who could withstand one hundred lashes. However, none of the men who administered them had the Mirakuru flowing through their veins." He paused for a moment as he walked back around behind Oliver yet again.

Oliver was thankful for the small break that Slade had allowed. His back was burning from the whip cutting into his back and he knew that Slade had drawn quite a bit of blood already. He was concentrating on his breathing so as not to allow the screams that were threatening to come out. Oliver kept his eyes turned from the Detective's. He didn't want to see the look of pity, or pain, in the man's eyes as he knew that that would wreak havoc on his control. As Slade moved back around behind him he worked to prepare himself for the bite of the whip – again.

Lance could not believe what he was seeing. Oliver was still as silent as could be and he was in awe of the young man's self-control. He remembered yet again the feeling of the whip on his own body, and the remaining pain throughout because of it, and knew that he would not have been able to stay conscious for this long if the roles were reversed. He looked Oliver over as Slade talked and Lance could see the smallest hint of pain in the young man's eyes. He then noticed the blood dripping from the end of the whip in Slade's hands. This caused him to look again to Oliver and he noticed the drops of blood on the floor beneath him.  _I hope he is strong enough to make it through this!_  He thought as Slade moved back around behind Oliver.

"I suspect that Oliver here will only be able to withstand a few more lashes. I believe he will pass out soon." Slade said as he walked back behind Oliver and started back in on the whipping. He then administered fifteen more lashes, harsher than the first, in quick succession.

Slade stopped completely after twenty five lashes. He knew Oliver had to be in a large amount of pain and he had a couple more things he wanted to do before the kid passed out. He hung his whip by the door before exiting without another word to either of the men.

* * *

Thea was horrified at what she had just seen. She had heard Slade's history lesson on Australian whippings. It sounded gruesome and the fact that Slade was going to whip her brother in much the same way had her scared for his life. She knew Oliver was strong, he had already endured a whipping at the hands of Malcolm.  _I still don't know how he managed the pain without any medication._  She thought to herself. As she watched Slade whip Oliver she was unable to help the tears that were streaming down her face. She was afraid that Slade was going to kill him.

Thea was extremely thankful when Slade finally stopped torturing Oliver. She hoped, with everything she had, that Slade would just walk away and leave her brother alone. She was a bit relieved when she saw Slade leave the room, however, her relief was short lived. Just moments later the TV in the room she was in went black, cutting off her view of Oliver and Detective Lance. Just seconds later the door to the room opened.

Slade stepped through the door of where he was holding Roy and Thea.  _It's time to bring his family in on what's going on._  He thought to himself as he noticed the tear stains on Thea's face. He knew that she had to have been crying after what he had shown her recently.  _If only she knew that this was just the beginning._  He thought as he walked over to the young lady.

* * *

Lance turned his gaze towards Oliver as soon as the door closed behind Slade. The younger man was hanging there, head down and breathing heavily.  _He has to be feeling the pain in his back, e_ _ven if he refuses to acknowledge the fact._  Lance thought as he decided to see if Oliver could talk to him.

"Oliver?" Lance asked quietly, not really expecting a response.

"Yes Detective?" Oliver replied, just as quietly and Lance could hear the hoarseness of his voice.  _Probably from keeping in the screams_. He thought as he noticed the slight look of pain in Oliver's eyes.

"How are you doing?" Lance said, clearly concerned. "I know you must be in a lot of pain."

"I'm fine." Oliver replied as he slowly looked around.

"Yeah right!" Lance commented sarcastically. "Did you forget that I learned your definition of  _fine_  when we were with Merlyn?" The contempt he had for the man was clear in his voice.

Oliver couldn't help the small chuckle that arose at Lance's comment. Oliver slowly tried to flex his muscles to help alleviate some of the strain and was unable to hold back a small groan of pain at the movement.

"How are you feeling Detective?" Oliver asked, trying to move the focus off of himself.

"I'm fine." Lance replied, confused as to why Oliver would be asking about  _him_ when he had to be in so much pain. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm sure you noticed the cameras in the room." Oliver replied, turning his gaze to one of the cameras. "They aren't there just for show."

"Did Felicity hack the security system?" Lance asked as he turned to look at the cameras as well, still wondering where Oliver was going with this.

"No." Oliver replied quietly, looking back to the Detective. "They are broadcasting live feed to the Foundry. We saw, and heard, everything."

"WHAT?" Lance almost yelled as he snapped his head back to look at Oliver again. "Why would he do that?"

"He blames me for some things that happened on the Island." Oliver replied quietly as he looked away from the Detective. "He wants me to know everything that I am responsible for, for the lives that I have ruined because of the choices I made."

Lance finally realized why he was here. It wasn't because of him personally but because of the vendetta that Slade had against Oliver. Slade was trying to turn everyone that was close to Oliver against him and make him feel guilty for all of it at the same time.

"It's not your fault Oliver!" Lance said vehemently with as much force as he could. "Nothing that Slade said was true."

"Yes it is." Oliver replied quietly. He knew that Detective Lance was simply trying to help him not feel guilty, but it really was all his fault. All of it was!

"NO!" Lance practically yelled at Oliver. "Sara made the decision to go with you. You didn't force her. You had no control over the fact that the Gambit went down. I made the choice to start drinking, to become an alcoholic. You had  _nothing_  to do with that. You weren't even here. They were choices that  _we_  made, not you!"

"I ruined your career." Oliver argued.

"No!  _You_  didn't." Lance argued back. "My career has nothing to do with anything that  _you_  did.  _I_ chose to work with you,  _I_  chose to go to you for help. Do you know why I did that?"

Oliver was silent as Detective Lance was talking. He still felt responsible for everything, regardless of what Lance was saying.

At Oliver's silence Lance decided to simply continue with what he was saying. He  _had_  to get Oliver to see that it was  _his_  choice to follow Oliver, that it had been his choice to stand up for him.

"I did that because I could see that you were making a difference in Starling City. You protect those who can't protect themselves. You help the helpless. You stand for the weak. You have brought hope to this city where there was none. The people of Starling City  _choose_  to believe in the Arrow, they  _choose_  to believe in  _you,_  and I have  _chosen_  to believe in you too!" Lance finished, slightly out of breath.

Before Oliver had a chance to say anything in response to Lance the door opened again. Slade walked through it and was pulling someone roughly in with him. Lance couldn't help the dread that he felt when he saw who it was... and Oliver's response.

"Thea!"


	20. Torture

Sara, Laurel, and Felicity had been sitting quietly in the liar for a while. Laurel sat staring at the screen with the video feed, silently processing everything that had happened recently with her Dad going missing and now Oliver.

Sara alternated between watching the video feed, Laurel, and Felicity. If she was being completely honest she was more worried for Felicity right now than she was for Laurel. After having had to watch Oliver be whipped by Malcolm, she knew that having to watch whatever Slade had planned for him now would be even harder on the blonde. Sara simply hoped that she would pull through it without it breaking her.

Felicity sat with the video feed pulled up on one screen and was monitoring Oliver from the corner of her eye as she still worked to trace the signal.  _Whoever is sending this must have some serious skills._  She thought as she hit another dead end. She was starting to get really frustrated with this whole situation.  _I'm just going to set some of my programs working to see if they find anything before I feel like breaking something._ The fact that she now knew Oliver's real feelings for her, as well as realized herself that she returned those feelings wholeheartedly, made this whole situation even harder on her.

Once Felicity set some of her programs to run searches she pushed back slightly from the computer to get a bit of space. Just as she turned away from her other monitors to check on Oliver she noticed that the door to the room that he and Detective Lance were in opened. She clenched her fist in frustration and anger as she noticed it was Slade who had walked through the door, however, as she noticed what he was carrying those feelings turned to dread.

Slade walked over to Oliver and without warning punched him in the jaw. Felicity couldn't help the small scream that escaped when she saw Oliver get punched. However, she chuckled slightly when she saw Oliver pin Slade with his Arrow Glare and was slightly relieved that he was now awake. He always looked so angry,  _yet so handsome,_  with that look on his face. She knew he was ready to punch Slade, and probably would have if he had not been hanging chained in the room.

Sara tensed at the sight of Slade. She and Oliver had thought he was dead, again, and now here he was about to torture Oliver - again. She couldn't help but remember Oliver's screams of pain the last time he was being held captive by Slade and she sincerely hoped that Felicity and Laurel would be spared them this time. She knew those sounds would haunt anyone's dreams and nightmares, just as they had hers. Her hopes died, however, when she noticed the whip in Slade's hands and she genuinely wished that there was something she could do to stop Slade. She knew that Felicity had been trying her hardest to track down his location and had been unsuccessful and that was eating at both of them at the moment. There was nothing that they could do but sit here and watch as her Dad and Oliver were hanging at the mercy of Slade.

Laurel wasn't paying much attention to what was happening in the lair. She was too focused on what was going on with her Dad. Yes, she was worried about Oliver, but he had endured such beatings before and she knew that he would be able to handle the same whip that was used on her Dad. She was more worried that something was going to happen to cause her Dad to be tortured even more. She already knew that he would be in a lot of pain as he had not completely healed from the beatings from Malcolm before Slade took him. She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't notice Sara tensing beside her as Slade continued to speak.

"Did Felicity tell you about our discussion? We had quite a fun time talking about you when she came for a visit. She was quite worried for you when I told her everything that we were going to do together. She seemed particularly worried about our first order of business as apparently someone recently had the same idea. Unfortunately for you, we are not going to be interrupted as he was." Slade said to Oliver.

Felicity paled as she heard Slade's words. She remembered with vivid clarity what Slade had told her he was going to do and the thought almost made her sick to her stomach again. She still had nightmares from when Malcolm had whipped Oliver and he had stopped sooner than he had apparently planned. She knew that with the Mirakuru coursing through Slade that not only would this be a much more brutal whipping, but it was going to last longer. She started to tremble at the thought of the man that she loved at the mercy of Slade and his whip.  _Please, come back to me alive Oliver!_ She thought as the tears started to fall.

Sara felt dread at what Slade had said, however, she did not miss the fact that Slade mentioned that Felicity knew more than she had let on. Her suspicions were confirmed as she noticed Felicity pale suddenly at the words. She looked to the blonde with concern and noticed that she looked like she was going to be sick and had started to cry. However, before she was able to say anything Laurel spoke up.

"Felicity?" Laurel turned to the blonde curiously. "Felicity, are you okay? You look like you're going to be sick." She hadn't failed to hear Slade's comment about Felicity knowing more and as she looked at the blonde she realized that he was telling the truth. She stood from her chair and walked over to Felicity, who was now staring blankly at the computer monitor.

"He's..." Felicity started shakily before slowly blinking and turning to Sara and Laurel. "He's going to whip Oliver until he passes out."

"That means _ **...**_ " Sara said quietly before getting lost in her own thoughts for a moment about the ramifications of Felicity's comment and again hearing Oliver's screams of pain in her memories.

Laurel was a bit confused at her sister's comment. She didn't know exactly what that meant but if she went off the looks on Sara and Felicity's faces then it was  _not_  going to be good.

"We all know how stubborn Oliver is." Sara said quietly in response to Laurel's unspoken question. "He will hold out as long as possible which means it will last even longer." She finished ominously.

Felicity turned back to the video, trying to get her crying under control. She was so focused on what Slade was saying about whippings in Australia that she failed to notice when Laurel brought her a cool rag and a fresh bottle of water. It wasn't until Laurel put a hand gently on her arm to get her attention that she looked away for a moment. She looked at Laurel, confused, until she noticed the fresh bottle of water.

"Thank you." Felicity said quietly. She was a bit confused as to why Laurel was suddenly being nice to her, but decided to figure that out later as she turned back to watch what was happening with Oliver.

Sara noticed what Laurel had done to help Felicity and she couldn't help but be proud at her sister. She knew that Laurel and Felicity had hardly gotten along at all and was grateful that things had changed.

Felicity turned back to the screen after taking a drink of water and wiping her face with the cool towel. It really helped her to bring her emotions back under control, at least a bit, and she turned and gave Laurel a look of thanks before turning back to the video. However, what she saw caused her emotions to take over again as she saw Slade holding the whip at the top of the handle just before he hit Oliver in the side with it. She couldn't help the flinch as the cane handle made contact with Oliver's side.  _That's going to leave a bruise_. She thought as she noted that Oliver hadn't so much as even blinked when Slade hit him with the whip handle.

They all watched, unable to turn away as Slade then slowly walked around behind Oliver. Felicity grabbed the armrests of her chair so tightly in dreadful anticipation of what was about to happen that her knuckles turned white. Laurel sat, hands clenched tightly under her chin, as she realized what she was about to see happen, again. Sara had let out a growl of irritation when Slade hit Oliver. Now she stood, extremely tense, almost holding her breath at what she knew was about to come, and hoped that Oliver really  _was_  as strong as he always said he was, and appeared to be.

As hard as Felicity tried she was unable to stop from crying out at the first lash of the whip on Oliver's back. She watched, from four different angles thanks to Slade's tech man, as Oliver's back started to bleed after just one lash. He had healed some from the previous whipping he had received from Malcolm, but not entirely and his weakened state worried Felicity even more. She could see the look of determination on his face as Slade continued with lash, after lash, after lash. Her tears were flowing freely again as she sat there, unable to do anything, as Oliver was whipped, again.

Sara was furious. She had seen how bad Oliver's back was after they had escaped from Malcolm and she knew that there was no way his back would hold up against this all over again. It was obvious that she was right as Oliver's back immediately started to bleed with just the first lash of the whip.  _At least most of his other injures are mostly healed._  She thought as she knew that it was taking all of his strength not to cry out in pain. In fact, most people would not be able to notice the slight look of pain on his face. Only she, Diggle, and Felicity would be able to recognize the subtle hints that he really was in pain.

The women all breathed a collective sigh of relief when Slade stopped after ten lashes.  _Maybe he's done._  Laurel thought as she watched Slade move back around to stand in front of Oliver. Suddenly, a sound behind them drew the attention of the entire group and they all turned to see Diggle descending the stairs to the lair. He stopped suddenly at the look of terror, anger, and pain on each woman's face.  _ **  
**_

"What's going on?" Diggle asked curiously. He had been down at the dock trying to find some clues and when he had found none he simply headed right back to the lair in the hope that Felicity had found something. What he was not expecting to see was all three women looking like someone was being killed right in front of them. "Is Detective Lance okay? Did something else happen?"

"Dad is fine." Sara answered for all three of the women, knowing that there was no way Felicity would be able to talk at the moment. "However, Slade now has Oliver and is whipping him."

"What!" Diggle said angrily as he moved to stand next to Sara. His heart dropped as he saw his friend, and partner, hanging in the middle of the room with blood dripping down his back and pooling on the floor beneath him. He saw that Oliver's back was covered with deep gashes and was a morbid combination of red and blue. When he saw Slade standing in front of Oliver with blood dripping off the whip in his hand he knew for sure that Sara's words were true. He also was worried for Oliver as he saw the whip that was being used. It was definitely not the same whip as had been used on the Detective as it was much finer,  _and therefore much faster._  Diggle thought as he took everything in.

"How long?" Diggle asked Sara. He knew that Sara would understand what he was asking.

"Ten lashes." Sara said quietly. "But he's not done yet."

Slade chose that moment to move back behind Oliver and continue the lashing. Diggle could see Felicity shaking in her seat as she watched Oliver being tortured again and he moved to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. He loved Felicity like a sister and it hurt him to see her, and the man he considered his brother, having to endure this, again.  _I need to do everything I can to make sure this doesn't break her_. He thought as he turned back to the screen.

Laurel watched, unable to look away, as Slade laid into Oliver's back again. She flinched every time the whip made contact with Oliver's skin and the crack of the whip made her shudder. She tried to look at Oliver's face, instead of his back, and was a bit confused as to how he was able to keep quiet and not show any signs of pain as his back was being repeatedly cut open by the whip. Finally her curiosity got the better of her and she voiced her question.

"How can he do that?"

"You have to remember, Laurel." Sara said quietly in response to her sister's question. "He had to endure  _five years_  where not  _one_  good thing happened to him. I know you saw the scars on his body. How do you think he got them?"

"I guess I never thought about it." Laurel said quietly as she looked back to Oliver, the scars on his body standing out more now than previously as she now wondered just what exactly had happened to her Ollie.

Sara had wanted her sister to finally think about what Oliver had had to endure to survive. He had been through so much,  _we both have,_  and she didn't think that Laurel had even stopped to consider that. She was glad that her sister was finally starting to realize just who Oliver really was now, and what made him exactly who he is today.

Felicity couldn't help the relief that she felt when Slade finally stopped. She had counted every lash of the whip, twenty five lashes, and had felt each one as if they had been given to her instead. Her heart ached for Oliver. She knew that he had to be in an incredible amount of pain from the look in his eyes and she was in awe of him, yet again, for not making a sound the entire time. She simply hoped that he was mentally strong enough this time to resist the fact that Slade was obviously trying to break him.

Sara was extremely relieved when Slade stopped his torture of Oliver and left the room.  _Maybe he's finally done._  She thought hopefully, even while she knew in her gut that it was not the case. She was extremely relieved at the fact that her Dad was checking on Oliver to see if he was okay,  _even if he is giving his usual "I'm fine" answer,_ _s_ he thought. She listened carefully as her Dad tried to convince Oliver that it was  _not_  his fault that he was there. Her Dad tried to convince Oliver that it was his own choices that had brought him there and Sara had never been more proud of her Dad than she was in that moment.

Laurel heard what her Dad said and was a bit surprised that it seemed he no longer blamed Oliver for everything that had happened to his family. Not that she wasn't happy about that, but it caused her to again evaluate her own thoughts and feelings. She knew that even though she realized it was  _not_  totally Oliver's fault she had still been blaming him for some things.  _ **  
**_

Diggle was extremely thankful for Detective Lance as he helped to bring Oliver's focus back. He had seen his partner slipping towards the end of the lashes from Slade and had wished that he could do something, _anything,_  to help Oliver remember who he was fighting for. He was beyond relieved when he saw the determination return to Oliver's eyes as Lance reminded him that people chose to follow him,  _chose_  to  _believe_  in him.

Felicity felt her momentary relief turn again to dread as the door to the torture room, as she now called it, opened again and she let out a small cry at who Slade was bringing through the door. She knew that this would give Oliver even more determination, but it worried her because she knew still more of what Slade had planned.

"No!"


	21. Twenty Five

Oliver was angry, no, not angry, he was  _furious_. He knew that Slade had taken Thea and was holding her, but when he brought her into the room where Slade was torturing him that was the last straw. He determined then and there that despite the pain he was feeling he  _would_ defeat Slade through whatever means necessary.

Lance looked to Oliver as Thea was brought in and tied to a chair in front of the younger man. He noticed the instant Oliver's determination returned and he shuddered to think what would happen if Oliver was released right this moment.  _I have no doubt Slade would be in some serious trouble._  He thought as he knew Oliver had a fierce protective streak when it came to his sister and Slade had captured her, twice now.

Thea was shaking with fear. She had been really scared when Slade had started to whip Oliver because she didn't see how anyone would be able to survive being treated like that. Her fear had grown when Slade came and removed her from the room with Roy and took her into the room with Detective Lance and Oliver before leaving them again. Her heart dropped when she saw her brother in person. She knew that it would be bad just based of the video feed she had seen in the other room. She was not prepared, however for how he looked in person though. He had a bruise on his jaw, a bruise on his side, she saw blood dripping down his back and around his side from the whip, and then she noticed the puddle on the floor. It was all she could do to keep from retching right there.

"Thea, are you okay?" Oliver asked his sister. He was worried for her, especially as she looked like she was about to lose the contents of her stomach.

"Me?" Thea asked incredulously. She could not believe that Oliver was asking how she was doing when obviously  _he_  was the most injured. "Why are you asking about me? I should be asking how you are!"

"I'm fine Thea." Oliver replied as calmly as he could. He didn't want Thea to worry any more than she already was, he was trying to calm her down.

"How can you be fine Ollie?" Thea asked, her voice getting louder as she still could not believe that he wasn't there cringing in pain right now. "You obviously are  _not_  fine."

"Speedy..." Oliver started to reply, but was interrupted when the door opened again and Slade returned.

Lance listened to the exchange between the siblings and chuckled quietly to himself when he heard Oliver use the word 'fine' and Thea's response.  _She obviously hasn't learned Oliver's definition of fine._  He thought just before Slade came back in. Lance could not help but be worried about what was going to happen next. He watched Slade as the man walked silently to the wall behind Oliver. He reached out and pressed on the wall and suddenly the wall started to rise, revealing a wall of mirrors behind Oliver, before moving to each side and raising panels at the back of those walls as well. There were now mirrors covering the back wall directly behind Oliver as well as the side walls, beginning where Oliver was hanging and going to the back wall. The room was now half mirrors.  _Oh this isn't going to be good._  He thought as he got a good look at Oliver's back through the mirrors for the first time as well as heard Thea's strangled cry as she saw the same thing.

Oliver heard the cry from Thea and saw the look of horror on the Detective's face and wondered what Slade had done behind his back. Whatever it was, it was not good. He watched Slade walk back around in front of him and back to where the whip was hanging by the door before turning around again. He again tried to prepare himself for whatever Slade had planned next.  _I can_ not _let myself cry out. I can't let Thea hear that._  Oliver thought, more determined than ever to keep silent. He refused to expose his sister to that as he knew how it would haunt her for the rest of her life.

"How are you feeling  _brother?"_ Slade asked, practically spitting out the last word, contempt clear in his voice.

Oliver turned and glared at Slade, staring him in the eyes, almost daring him to do his worst.

"Have you had a chance to chat with your sister yet?" Slade asked as he curled the whip in his right hand as he walked towards Thea. "She got to enjoy quite the show just before coming in here, didn't you?" He asked her as he placed the curled whip under her chin, making her look up at him. "Did you tell your brother what you got to see?"

Thea was still scared. She watched silently as Slade picked up the whip and talked to Oliver, but she looked down when he turned and walked over to her. When Slade placed the whip under her chin she could see the dried blood on it and it caused her to let out a small whimper. As she looked at Slade she started to shake slightly.

"Well?" Slade asked louder, determined to get an answer out of  _someone._

"No." Thea cried quietly.

"Why don't you tell Oliver what you got to see then." Slade suggested, more like demanded.

"I..." Thea started before her voice broke. At another insistent nudge from Slade's whip she continued. "I watched him whip you Oliver." She said quietly through her tears.

Oliver could not believe what he was hearing.  _How did she see that?_  He thought before realizing that it must have been broadcast to wherever she had been held from the cameras in the room. His heart hurt for his sister as he knew those images would haunt her for a very long time. He kept his face a mask as Slade turned back to him.

"You see," Slade started as he walked back towards Oliver. "Those cameras are sending a live feed to the Foundry so that your  _team_  can watch you suffer." Slade said with a bit of a laugh. "I wonder how they're taking it." He said as he grabbed the cane handle of his whip before quickly hitting Oliver in the side with it again. "I wonder how your lovely Felicity is doing." Another hit to Oliver's other side. "As she watches you  _suffer."_  He spat in the kid's face.

Lance watched as Slade hit Oliver yet again with the handle of the whip and could not help but flinch as he still remembered the feel of the whip on his now bruised and broken body. He looked across to Thea and could see that the younger girl was crying.  _She's never seen Oliver get hurt like this before._  He thought.  _At least I know a bit of what he can handle from when we were held by Merlyn. She's never had the chance to see just who Oliver really is and what he can survive._  He realized.

"Well, time to get on with the show." Slade said after a moment. "Since you are not able to see, Oliver. I have removed panels from the walls behind you uncovering walls of mirrors. This will allow Mr. Lance and your sister to have a better view of what is going on. I hope they enjoy the show." He finished as he walked behind Oliver again. "Now. Where were we? Oh yes, twenty five lashes. Are you ready for twenty five more?" Slade asked as he uncurled the whip and delivered another lash to Oliver's back with a harsh crack.

Thea jumped as the whip sailed through the air and landed on Oliver's back with a resounding crack. She knew that she would never be able to get that sound out of her head. She watched, mesmerized, as Slade delivered more lashes to Oliver's back. She was unable to stop the tears streaming down her face and her voice grew hoarse as she begged Slade to stop.

Oliver knew that his sister was having an extremely hard time seeing him like this. She had never really seen him injured before, except that one Christmas he was in the hospital, but that didn't really count as he had already been bandaged up. He looked to her for a moment, trying to catch her eye so that he could try and let her know that he would be okay. He noticed, however, that her gaze was fixed to the mirrors behind him and he then knew that she would not be able to look away. That was when he decided to try and think of something else, someone else, to help him bear the pain. He thought of Felicity, watching on the screens in the foundry and unable to do anything.  _I have to hold it together for Felicity._  He thought as he lost count of the number of lashes he had received this time as the burning heat in his back from the whip was threatening to overtake him. Oliver focused all of his remaining energy into keeping silent and not allowing any pain to show on his face.

Lance looked on, alternating between the mirrors where he could see exactly what damage the whip was doing to Oliver's back, and watching the young man's face. He was starting to see the mask that Oliver usually had start to slip. He knew the younger man had to be in an incredible amount of pain and was again surprised that he had held on this long.

Lance had tried to keep track of how many lashes Oliver had received this time. He didn't think the kid would make it to twenty five again as he was already weak from the previous lashes from Slade. He had noticed that Slade had a different approach this time than he had last time. He was delivering the lashes slower.  _Probably wanting Oliver to feel the pain from each lash individually. I bet if you do it too fast then it all just blends together._  He thought to himself.

* * *

Back at the Lair the Team watched the video feed in relative silence. After five lashes with the whip Laurel had started to cry quietly in the corner, still unable to look away from the screen.

Sara was pacing. She was furious with Slade and would kill him now if she could. She glanced quickly to the other monitors to see if any of the searches had come up with any clues and was irritated when she realized that they had not.

Diggle was angry. He was standing by Felicity, lending his silent support, as they watched their partner, his  _brother_  being tortured again at the hands of Slade. As he watched Oliver's control slowly starting to slip he simply hoped that Oliver would survive long enough for them to get him out of there. He placed a hand gently on Felicity's shoulder as she started to cry, again.

Felicity could not believe it. Slade was using that stupid whip on Oliver, again. She couldn't help the tears and shakes that overcame her. With the mirrors that were now visible in the room they were able to see, in even more detail, each and every cut the whip made on Oliver's back. She knew that these were more scars that she would never forget, that she would see even with her eyes closed.

Focusing on Oliver's face she could tell the moment he started to slip. She knew that he would do everything in his power to keep silent, to not show any pain on his face, but she knew that it was taking all his strength to do so.

Felicity was relieved when mercifully Oliver passed out after another twenty lashes.


	22. Release

Lance watched as Oliver passed out. He had been unable to keep track of how many lashes the younger man had received this time, however, he could clearly see that Oliver would be in quite a massive amount of pain no small thanks to state that his back was in due to the whip. He noticed that Slade delivered about five more lashes before he realized that Oliver had passed out. When Slade came to that realization an evil grin spread across the Australian's face.

Lance watched as Slade coiled up the whip before hanging it from a hook on his side. The man then turned and walked towards him and Lance was a bit worried about what Slade was up to next. He received his answer when the other man came to stand in front of him.

"Well Mr. Lance." Slade said with a grin. "Have you enjoyed your time with us?"

Lance had decided long ago that he was not going to give Slade the satisfaction of getting a response from him so he determined yet again to not say a word.

"Unfortunately for you, your time with us has come to an end." Slade said just moments before he punched Lance in the face, effectively knocking him out cold. Slade then called in two men to assist him and they took Lance out of the restraints and carried him out of the room.

Thea had noticed that Slade had stopped his torture of Oliver, but she was so focused on her brother that she didn't notice what else was going on until the men began to remove Detective Lance from the room. As the door slammed shut behind them she couldn't hold back the sobs and cried until her eyes were dry.

* * *

The tension in the lair was thick. They had all watched as Slade tortured Oliver more until the younger man finally, mercifully, passed out. Felicity was furious when Slade did not realize that Oliver was out until five lashes later and probably would have killed him herself if she had been able. It was only a moment later that the video feed in the lair went out.

Felicity burst into action when her screen went black. She checked everything that she could think of to make sure that it was not something on her end. When she had exhausted all options she turned to Diggle who was still standing directly behind her.

"He's gone." Felicity said with a sob. "They cut the video feed!"

Diggle didn't know what to say to Felicity. He couldn't say that everything would be okay, because it wasn't. He couldn't say that Oliver would be fine, because he wasn't sure he would be. He wanted to tell her that the video feed would come back up, but that was not guaranteed. The only thing that he could do was pull her into a tight hug and hold her as she cried into his shirt.

It was about ten minutes after they lost the video feed that Sara noticed something on the computer monitor.

"Felicity!" Sara called to the blonde. Felicity had gone over to the couch and curled up shortly after they lost the video feed. She had wanted a few moments to herself to process things. However, as she heard the urgency in Sara's tone of voice she was up and across the lair in seconds.

"I don't believe it!" Felicity said as she pulled up her GPS tracking program.

"What is it Felicity?" Diggle asked as he recognized the program, and the alert.

"Detective Lance." Felicity said as her fingers flew across her keyboard. "His tracker just came back on."

"Dad?" Laurel asked from her seat by the computers. She had not moved since she sat down earlier as she was too drained physically and emotionally to do anything.

"Where?" Sara asked as she grabbed her bo staff.

"Um..." Felicity said as she finished bringing up the location on her computer. "I can't believe this. He's in front of the bank you guys busted the arms dealers at." Felicity said as she turned to look at Diggle and Sara. Both partners were already on their way to the door.

"Laurel. Stay here." Sara called on her way up the stairs. "We'll be right back." She knew that her sister would try to follow and wanted to reassure her that they would be coming back to the lair soon.

"Felicity, get the med area ready." Diggle said as he ran after Sara. "We don't know what kind of injuries he has."

Felicity watched them go, heartbroken. She had been trying everything that she could think of to get locations to come up for Lance, Roy, Thea, and Oliver and now suddenly one of them popped up again. She turned back to her computers and again tried to locate more of her team members.

Sara and Diggle jumped in the car and rushed over to the bank where they had just recently busted the gang of arms dealers. Digg had talked Sara into taking the car simply by mentioning that Lance would not be able to ride on the bike and she would not want to leave him once they picked him up. She had agreed, but was now fidgeting in the seat next to him as they sped down the streets, ignoring all traffic lights on the way.

Sara jumped out of the car as it slid to a stop in front of the bank. She could see her Dad lying on the front steps, clearly still passed out. She rushed over to him and quickly released his hands that were tied behind him and eased him down to where he could lie flat on his back. She quickly checked his vitals and then placed her ear to his chest to check his breathing. She was worried as his breathing was raspy and she wondered how many of his ribs were cracked or broken and causing him to have a hard time breathing.

After her quick assessment of her Dad, Sara then took the time to look him over a bit more closely. She noticed a great deal of blood on him and started to check to see where he was injured. It was just a second later though that Diggle spoke up.

"It's not his blood." Diggle spoke quietly as Sara looked her Dad over.

"How do you know?" Sara asked in response.

"Because it wouldn't be on his clothes like that if it was his." Diggle replied sadly. "This is probably blood splatter from the whip that Slade was using."

At Diggle's words Sara realized that he was right and she would have known that if she had taken a second more to assess the situation.  _It seems I'm acting on emotions, not training._  She thought as she quickly pulled herself together again. As she looked at the amount of blood on her Dad's clothes she shuddered to think about the fact that it was Oliver's and what her friend had endured.

"Let's get him back to the Lair." Diggle said as he carefully began to pick up the Detective. He carried him over to the car and gently laid him in the back seat.

Sara quickly got in the backseat of the car next to her Dad and gently laid his head in her lap. Just as the car started to move she noticed that he was starting to come to.

"Dad." Sara said quietly, not wanting to startle him.

"Sara?" Lance asked weakly. He was slowly waking up and realized that he was in the back of a car. He couldn't remember what had happened and was surprised to hear his youngest daughter's voice.

"Dad, it's okay, you're safe." Sara said, the relief evident in her voice. "Do you know what happened?"

"No." Lance said quietly as he became more aware and realized that he was in a car with Diggle and Sara. "The last thing I remember is watching Slade whip Oliver, and then Slade punched me."

"Yeah, we saw that." Sara said, reassuring her Dad that he remembered correctly. "We lost our video feed right after Oliver passed out."

"So he wasn't lying then?" Lance asked, wanting to know what all his girls had seen. "About you guys seeing everything in the lair?"

"No." Sara answered, worried about how he was going to take knowing that they had seen everything.

"Laurel?" Lance asked, sitting up suddenly. He had remembered that she had been in the apartment with him when Slade came for him and needed to know if she was safe.

"She's fine Dad." Sara said as she noted the worry in his voice. She tried to get him to lie back down as she went on to explain. "She is safe and at the lair."

"Good." Lance said as he carefully settled back down into the seat.

They traveled in silence the rest of the way back to the liar. When they arrived Lance insisted that he was capable of walking inside on his own. At Sara's argument Diggle laughed.  _At least now we know who she gets the stubbornness from._  He thought to himself as he let them into the lair.

Laurel ran to the stairs as soon as she saw her Dad slowly making his way down them.

"Dad!"

"Hey sweetie." Lance replied as he noted the concern on his eldest daughter's face. "I'm fine!"

"I'm so glad you're back." Laurel said as she pulled her Dad into a tight hug as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"OW!" Lance cried as Laurel squeezed him, putting more pressure on his already injured ribs.

"Laurel, he has broken and cracked ribs." Sara said as she came down behind her Dad. "Be careful!"

"Oh no! I'm sorry!" Laurel said as she suddenly pulled back from her Dad not wanting to hurt him more.

"I'm fine Laurel. Just a little sore." Lance said with a bit of a smile as he tried to reassure his daughters.

"Come on Detective." Diggle said as he walked past the trio towards the medical area. "Let's get those ribs checked out."

"I've got it John." Sara said as she gave a knowing glance in Felicity's direction, noting the silent tears running down the blonde's face.

Diggle saw her look and gave a small nod in understanding before heading over to sit next to Felicity.

"I can't find him Digg." Felicity said quietly as she looked toward the Detective.

Lance noticed the look on Felicity's face and instantly felt for the young woman. He knew that Felicity and Oliver had a special bond and it had to be tearing her up inside knowing what Oliver has gone through so far and not having him back yet. He didn't miss the tears on her face before she turned away from him again and looked towards the Salmon Ladder. He placed a hand on Sara's arm to stop her before she started to tape his ribs and she gave a small smile in understanding.

Sara turned to grab a wet cloth from the table next to her and handed it to her Dad. She knew that he wanted to go talk to Felicity but also knew that the blonde would not handle the sight of Oliver's blood on her Dad's face and arms. He took it, nodding silently that he understood before making quick work of cleaning up a bit. She then lent him a hand so that he could stand then watched as he walked slowly over to where Felicity sat.

Lance settled himself into the chair next to Felicity and turned to face her.

"Felicity." Lance said quietly, trying to draw her attention. When she didn't look at him he continued. "Felicity, I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry Detective?" Felicity said, confused as to why he was apologizing, of all things.

"Because I'm here and he's not." Lance said as he looked Felicity in the eyes. His heart was heavy at the sadness that he saw reflected in her eyes. "I wish there was something that I could have done to get him out of there. I really do!"

Felicity could hear the sincerity in the Detective's voice. She realized that he would have done anything to get Oliver out of there safely and the fact that he had been released, alone, was probably eating him up as well.

"Detective." Felicity said as she placed a hand carefully on his arm in reassurance. "I know you would have brought Oliver home safely if you could have, but it was out of your control. I know that he is better off with you here with us than there with him at the mercy of Slade. Oliver would want you to be safe, so stop beating yourself up over it!"

Lance thought for minute about what Felicity had said and realized that she was right. Oliver would have one less person to worry about when he came to and that would allow him to save more of his strength. He nodded silently before standing up and going back towards the medical bay. After carefully sitting on the table he allowed Sara to then help take care of his injures.

* * *

The first thing Oliver realized when he started to come to is that his back felt like it was on fire. He was not surprised though as he knew his back had to be pretty shredded after the abuse from Slade and his whip. After a moment of hanging there silently, taking in his surroundings before opening his eyes, he heard someone crying quietly to his side. He listened for a moment more, to be sure Slade was no longer in the room, before opening his eyes to find his sister, still tied to the chair. It took only a few seconds more for him to realize that Lance was no longer in the room.

"Thea, where's Detective Lance?"


	23. Thea

"Thea!" Oliver called to his sister. She seemed to have spaced out and that worried Oliver.

"Oliver?" Thea asked. She had not noticed that her brother had woken up and was relieved to hear his voice, despite how raspy it was. "Oliver are you okay?"

"I'm fine Thea." Oliver responded to his sister's questions. "Where is Detective Lance?"

"I don't know." Thea answered, recognizing the worry in Oliver's voice. "Slade knocked him out and carried him out of the room right after you passed out. I have no idea where he went."

Oliver was worried for Lance. He knew the man had to be in quite a lot of pain and if Slade had taken him somewhere Oliver shuddered to think about what he could be going through, again. He decided, however, to focus on something he  _could_  do something about as he heard his sister sniffling as if she had been crying. He looked at her closely and realized that he was right, Thea had been crying.

"Thea? Are you okay? Did Slade hurt you?" Oliver asked, now very concerned for his sister.

"What?" Thea asked quietly, surprised. "No, Ollie. Slade didn't hurt me. But he hurt you. Are you okay?!" Thea asked as she suddenly realized that Oliver hadn't really answered her question the first time.

"I'm fine Thea." Oliver said as calmly as he could. The last thing he wanted was to worry her.

"How can you be fine?" Thea asked, confused as to  _how_  he thought he could be fine after she had seen Slade do  _that_  to him. "Slade just whipped you, your back looks like it went through a meat grinder, you are bleeding  _really_ bad, and you're telling me that you are  _FINE?!"_ Thea said, as she raised her voice until she was now yelling at Oliver.

Oliver couldn't help the small smile that he allowed to cross his face. He had heard this argument before, from another woman in his life, and he thought it was funny that Thea and Felicity were so much alike.

"Thea, I promise, I'm okay!" Oliver said sincerely, trying to convince his sister. "Yes, my back hurts, but it's nothing that won't heal. I promise! I'm fine!"

"Oliver?" Thea asked after a moment of looking at her brother. "How could you be quiet? When he was whipping you? It had to have hurt like hell and you didn't say a word, didn't make a sound. In fact, it didn't even look like he was hurting you. How did you do that?" She wanted to know how in the world he had gone through that so quietly, without even a hint that he was in pain.

"Thea..." Oliver started thoughtfully, trying to decide just how much to disclose to his sister at this moment. "You know I have scars. You've seen them. Did you never wonder how I got them?"

"Yes, I have." Thea responded, clearly remembering the first time she saw those scars. "Don't you remember me asking what happened?"

"Yes, I do." Oliver said after a moment, remembering her walking in on him as he was putting his shirt on shortly after he got back from Lian Yu.

"You told me then you didn't want to talk about it. That you weren't ready yet." Thea reminded her brother. She then remembered their conversation out by the tombstones for her father and brother a few minutes after that. She had told him that he would eventually have to talk about it, let someone in.  _Maybe now he'll let me in._  She thought as Oliver began to speak again.

"I wasn't alone on the Island." Oliver began quietly, knowing that would catch her interest.

"Then why did you tell everyone that you were?" Thea asked, confused as to why he had chosen to keep this a secret from them, from her.

"Because if I told everyone that I was not alone on the Island then they would want to know more." Oliver said slowly, wanting her to realize that he was being as honest as he could with her right now. "My time on the Island, what happened to me there. They are not things I like to talk about. Nothing good happened there Speedy. Only one bad thing after another and I didn't want to burden you guys with knowing what I went through. You were dealing with me being back after you thought I was dead. That was enough of a shock for you to handle. I didn't want to make me being home harder on you, and everyone else."

"What happened?" Thea asked. She was now looking at the scars on her brother's body again and could not help the curiosity.

"Thea..." Oliver said almost pleadingly.

"No, you asked me if I ever wondered about your scars." Thea responded, making it clear she was not going to back down. "You can't start a conversation and not finish it!"

"You're right." Oliver conceded. "You do deserve to know more." He paused a moment to try and take a full breath, to steady himself, before he continued.

"There  _were_  others on the Island. Some were friends and some were not." Oliver started to explain cautiously. "There were several times I was captured and tortured for information."

Thea gasped. She knew that he  _had_  to have been through a lot to get those scars, but she never imagined that he was tortured. She looked into her brother's eyes and saw the sadness there. She decided that she  _didn't_  want to know any more about the torture right now.  _I'm seeing enough of that as is._  She thought to herself. She then decided to try a different approach, to change the topic.

"Who were your friends?" Thea asked cautiously. "Were they rescued with you?" She jumped when the door slammed open before Oliver could answer.

"No Thea, they weren't rescued with him." Slade said in his thick Australian accent. "Everyone who was considered his friend on the Island is _dead_ because  _he_  turned his back on them."

* * *

Felicity practically did a happy dance. Just as Sara was finishing taping up the last of the Detectives ribs her monitor came back to life with the video feed from the  _'_ Torture Room'. They watched for just a moment before Oliver woke up again and Felicity could finally breathe.

"Guys!" Felicity called to the rest of the people in the lair. She knew the Team would want to see what was happening.

Diggle listened as Thea and Oliver started to talk and could not help his laughter as Oliver said that he was fine and then Thea's response to that explanation. He knew that his partner was in a massive amount of pain from his back and was thankful that he was still able to hide it from his sister.

Sara watched Oliver closely as he started to talk about his scars with Thea. Frankly she was surprised that Thea hadn't asked about them before, but then realized that the young woman had only seen them twice, and once was when he had a multitude of new injures to camouflage them. As she listened to Oliver's explanation of how he got them her heart ached. She knew some of the stories, but had never asked him for details on the rest. It was something that you just didn't do.

Felicity jumped in her chair with a cry when Slade barged back into the room. She knew what other things he had planned and she was worried about what he would try next. Her questions were answered though when, after he finished speaking, a couple of other men brought in a mostly vertical board on wheels, not much different than what Laurel was bound to by the Dollmaker, with someone tied to it. The tension in the lair returned, as well as Felicity's shakes, when they turned the board around.

Slade had brought in Roy, and he was unconscious.


	24. Secrets

Thea watched, scared, as Slade's men brought Roy into the room. She was genuinely worried for her boyfriend as she had no idea what Slade had in store for them now. She was so focused on Roy now that she almost missed the growl that came from Oliver.

Oliver was angry. He had hoped that somehow Roy had managed to simply get lost somewhere instead of captured, but now he realized that was definitely not the case. As he looked at the younger man he noticed that he was still alive and was simply sedated via the IV in his arm.  _That's the only way Slade would have been able to keep him, sedated._ Oliver thought as he remembered that nothing could hold a man once he had the Mirakuru flowing through his veins. As he noticed the look of pure evil on Slade's face Oliver began to worry for his young protégé.

"I thought you might like to see some more of your  _Team,_  Oliver." Slade said as he walked towards Roy. "Tibetan Pit Viper Venom. The best way to keep him under control." He said as he gently held the IV line, a small smile on his face as he spoke.

"Why are you doing this?" Thea cried out as she watched Slade. "He's never done anything to you! He's innocent. Please, just let him go!"

"Do you remember what I told you about people, Kid?" Slade asked, ignoring Thea for now and instead turning to Oliver. He took Oliver's silence, and glare, to mean that he did indeed remember those conversations. "Well, it's time to teach your little sister that lesson." He said as he turned to talk to Thea.

"You leave her out of this." Oliver growled. "Your problem is with me.  _I_  am the one you are after, not them. Just let them go and you can do anything that you want, to  _me."_

"When I first met your brother on Lian Yu he was still this spoiled, rich playboy." Slade started as he walked around Thea to place a hand on her shoulder, carefully watching Oliver's reaction to the contact. "I had to teach him everything. He was so trusting, so loyal, and so naive. I had to teach him to start a fire, to fight, to survive. He learned, eventually, however there was one lesson he was adamant about  _not_  learning."

Oliver did his best to keep his face blank, however he could not keep a growl from escaping when Slade placed his hand on Thea's shoulder.  _If he so much as hurts one hair on her head, I swear..._  He thought to himself as Slade talked to Thea. As he listened to Slade telling her about what he had learned from him Oliver shuddered . He remembered the lesson that Slade was talking about and was worried about what Slade was going to do to teach it to his sister. His answer came after a few more words from Slade.

"I tried, over and over to teach Oliver not to trust people, not to get close to them. But again and again he ignored that lesson. I tried to teach him, before he had to learn for himself, that everyone in this life is out only for themselves. No one  _really_  cares about others and you will always get stabbed in the back from the lies and betrayal from those you consider your closest friends." Slade continued as he walked around to stand between Roy and Thea. "Did Oliver ever tell you how he betrayed me? About the lie he let me believe?" Slade asked as he noticed the anger rolling off Oliver.

Oliver's heart sank as Slade mentioned the lies that he had told the man. He could only think of two at the moment and knew that only one of them was worth mentioning. He had never told Thea about Shado and was angry at Slade for choosing to educate Thea on what happened in this way. His muscles were tense as he tried to control his breathing to keep his anger under control as Slade started to speak, again.

Thea finally tore her gaze away from Slade and looked at Oliver when he talked about lies. She was still pissed about the fact that she learned that Oliver was the Arrow in the way that she had. She had thought that he would trust her, tell her, and was hurt that he had again chosen not to share that part of his life with her. She had felt for a long time that Oliver and her Mom were keeping things from her, lying to her, and that hurt more than anything. Thea knew that there had to have been a good reason for Oliver to lie to someone who had been his friend and was now curious as to what had happened to cause Slade to be so angry at her brother.

"There was a woman, a woman that I  _loved_." Slade continued, sadness in his eyes. "She was killed because of a decision that  _HE_  made." He said, raising his voice as he pointed an accusing finger at Oliver. " _HE_  is the reason that  _she_ is dead!" He roared in anger. "He led me to believe that there was nothing he could have done, that he had no way of saving her. But he lied." Slade walked up to Oliver and go in his face. " _YOU KILLED HER!"_

Oliver heard what Slade was saying and felt the weight of his decision on his shoulders yet again. He turned and looked away from Slade, from Thea. Slade was right, it was his fault that Shado had died. What the man didn't realize was that when Oliver moved in front of the gun it wasn't to keep Sara from dying, it was to try to save them both. He had expected Ivo to shoot him, not Shado.

"He chose for her to die. Then, he didn't even tell me himself." Slade said as he turned back towards Roy. "I had to hear the truth from someone else, from the man who had shot her." Slade reached to a compartment on the back of the stretcher that Roy was tied to and pulled out a full syringe. "You know how that feels, don't you Thea?" Slade asked as he turned to her. "After all, you had to find out about your real Father from a total stranger. You heard Oliver's secret from his ex-girlfriend. Did you know that your boyfriend also has a secret that your brother has been keeping from you?"

Thea could not believe what she was hearing. She had hated her mother for not telling the truth about Malcolm, she was still pissed at Oliver for not telling her about being the Arrow. What she could not believe was that yet another person that she trusted was keeping another secret from her. She looked from Slade to Roy, trying to figure out what it was that Roy was keeping from her.

"I'm sure you've heard that I have something called Mirakuru running through my veins." Slade said as he walked back towards Roy. "Your boyfriend has the same thing - has had it for several months now. It increases strength, allows a body to heal more quickly. But, the best secret of all is that he has been working with Oliver, the Arrow, for quite a while now." Slade laid a hand on Roy's shoulder. "He's been able to help Oliver in his  _mission_  because he has the Mirakuru. I wonder what would happen if he was still helping the Arrow, but was no longer able to heal." Slade suddenly stabbed Roy in the heart with the syringe.

"NO!" Thea called as she didn't know exactly what Slade had done to the man that she loved.

"You should never have gotten close to him, Kid." Slade said as he dropped the syringe back into the compartment on the back of the stretcher. "Now you're going to have to find a way to keep him alive without the Mirakuru." He said as he turned away from Oliver to walk out the door. Just before he exited the room he turned to the men who had brought Roy in. "Bring them both."

* * *

Sara was standing in the lair, watching and listening to what was going on with Oliver, Roy, and Thea. She dreaded what was going to happen and her heart sank when Slade talked about getting close to people, about people only looking out for themselves, about the lies that people tell. She remembered doing those same things to Oliver. She had tried to talk him into giving up the Mirakuru to Ivo, she had convinced him not to tell Slade about what had happened to Shado, and she had then told him to kill Slade when they had the chance even though she knew full well that Oliver wouldn't.

Slade continued to talk and brought up what happened with Shado. Sara couldn't help the tears that welled up in her eyes as she remembered what had happened that fateful night. Ivo had held her and Shado at gunpoint, trying to get Oliver to choose who to save. She had been terrified. She was afraid that Oliver was going to choose Shado, the woman who he loved. Instead she felt relief when Oliver ran and placed himself between her and the gun. The relief was short lived, however, when she heard the gunshot and saw Shado fall to the ground beside her.

Sara's heart hurt for Oliver. She could see the emotional pain that was in his eyes, the way he looked away, ashamed. She knew that he felt the weight of that decision again, even if it wasn't his fault. She hoped that somehow they would be able to convince him of that again and keep him from the guilt that would threaten to take over. She could also see his physical pain. She knew that his back had to be hurting him due to the lashes from Slade. It appeared that the blood had dried on his back and Sara simply hoped that Slade would allow some kind of medical treatment soon to avoid any type of infection.

The Team watched closely as Slade moved behind Roy and pulled out the syringe.

"What in the world?" Felicity asked as she tried to enhance the video so that she could see what was in the syringe and was irritated when she saw that it was unmarked.

After a moment it was obvious to the Team what was about to happen. After Slade injected Roy, and then left the room with Thea and Roy close behind Felicity turned in her chair to face Sara and Diggle with wide eyes.

"He has a cure!"


	25. Results

Thea was dragged out of the room, hands tied behind her back, kicking and screaming. She had just watched as Oliver was tortured with a whip, and then her boyfriend was brought in and a needle stabbed into his heart. They were bringing Roy out of the room as well, but she was worried that he was seriously injured from that needle. The men brought them to what appeared to be a garage with a black van parked inside. Roy was removed from the stretcher and thrown into the back of the van and then Thea was thrown in after him. The door was slammed shut behind them and it was just a moment later that the van started to move. She would have watched to see where they were going, or coming from, if the windows had not been blacked out. After a brief moment she moved as close as she could to Roy in hopes that he would wake up, soon.

It was only a few minutes later when the van slid to a stop, causing Thea to lose her balance as she fell over onto her side with a cry. She was pulled roughly out of the van and pushed a few feet away to some stairs outside of what looked like a bank. She thought the building looked familiar but was unable to get a good look before Roy was thrown in her direction and landed hard on the steps beside her. One of the men came over to her and quickly untied her hands before quickly climbing back in the van. As the van sped away she turned to Roy and tried to wake him up. After a couple of minutes of talking to him, shaking him, even slapping his face he finally started to stir.

"Thea?" Roy asked groggily. He felt like he had been run over by a truck.

"Roy!" Thea cried with relief. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Roy responded as he slowly sat up. "Where are we?" He asked as he slowly started to look around.

"I don't know." Thea responded as she tried to dry her tears.

"Hey, I know this building." Roy stated as he slowly stood, recognizing where they were.

"Where are we?" Thea asked as she stood next to Roy, holding on to his arm as she was unwilling to let him go anytime soon.

"We're at the bank." Roy responded.

"What bank?" Thea asked, thoroughly confused now.

"The one where we stopped the arms dealers." Roy said as he looked around some more, trying to get his bearings so he could take them back to the lair that he now knew was close. "Come on. Let's go back to the lair."

"Won't they just come find us?" Thea asked, curious as to why they didn't just wait for Oliver's Team to find them.

"They won't be able to." Roy said as they started to walk. "Slade destroyed all my trackers."

* * *

Felicity sat staring at her Teammates. She  _knew_  that Slade had the cure. She had just seen him inject Roy with it. She knew that the entire game had just changed.

"What do you mean he has a cure?" Lance asked as he watched the Team's reaction to Slade's words.

"Dad, you know about the Mirakuru." Sara answered as she turned from her Team to look at her Dad who gave a nod of his head as he remembered his run in with Cyrus Gold. "Slade has a cure for it."

"If he has more of it..." Diggle stated as he realized what this meant.

"...Then we can stop Slade with his own cure." Sara finished.

"We have to find him first though." Felicity said as she turned back to her computers and began typing furiously again. "If only I could find him!" She muttered under her breath.

"How are you going to find him?" Laurel asked curiously. "You've been trying to track him for hours."

"I know." Felicity responded without looking up from her computer screen. "I just had a thought though. I just have to see if it works."

"So what do we do in the meantime?" Laurel asked.

"We wait." Diggle responded as he sat down next to Felicity.

They all watched Felicity for about thirty minutes before anyone spoke.

"Where did Roy and Thea go?" Lance asked as he noticed that the couple was no longer in the room with Oliver.  _ **  
**_

"They were pulled out a while ago." Diggle responded.

"Do you think they are okay?" Laurel asked with concern.

Before anyone could respond Diggle heard the distinct click of the lock on the door and instinctively turned, gun drawn, to the stairs. No one expected to see who had just entered.

"Roy! Thea!" Felicity cried as she stood and ran to envelope the younger woman in a big hug. "You guys are here, how?"

"They let us go." Roy responded quietly as he leaned against one of the tables. He felt different than normal and couldn't figure out why. "They dropped us off at the bank where we busted the arms dealers."

Felicity suddenly whirled back towards her computers as an alert sounded. She ran back to her computer and began to type furiously.

"Felicity?" Sara asked curiously as she joined the other blonde at the computers.

"I have results." Felicity cried, relief in her voice. She turned and looked briefly at Oliver in the video feed, relieved that she finally found something. "They are bouncing the signal around, but I know where one of the routers is."

"Where Felicity?" Sara asked, ready to get going on the new lead.

"I think it's at the bank." Felicity said as she turned to Sara. "I can't access it from here though. I have to go to the source."

"Not an option." Diggle said forcefully. "Oliver would kill me if something happened to you."

"So you and Sara go with me." Felicity said as she began to gather her tablet and jacket, ready to go do something ,  _anything_ to get Oliver back.

"Fine!" Diggle conceded. "But  _you're_  explaining this one to Oliver."

"Deal." Felicity said with a smile as her, Diggle and Sara turned to leave the lair. Just as they reached the stairs they turned quickly when they heard the sound of something falling behind them.

"Roy!" Thea cried as her boyfriend hit the floor.

"Roy." Diggle said as he rushed to his young partner's side. "Roy, what's wrong?"

"I don't feel right." Roy said as he slowly sat up.

"Slade injected you with a cure." Diggle explained as he hauled the younger man onto the medical table.

"John?" Sara asked. She knew that they had to get going if they were going to get anything from this lead.

"Could be effects from the venom." Diggle said as he started to look Roy over. "You guys go." Diggle said resignedly. He hated that he couldn't go but needed to make sure nothing life threatening was wrong with Roy. "I'm going to check out Roy, make sure he's okay. I'll catch up."

"We'll stay on the comms." Sara said as her and Felicity quickly left the lair.

"Do you think we will get to him in time?" Felicity asked Sara as they made their way to the bank as quickly as they could.

"I don't know Felicity." Sara answered her friend, knowing what she was asking. She hated to give her false hope since she  _didn't_  know if they would get to Oliver in time or not. "I hope so!"

"I haven't even had a chance to tell him that I love him." Felicity said quietly as she stared out the car window, tears welling up in her eyes. "What if I never get the chance to tell him?"

"Felicity, listen to me." Sara said, knowing that she had to say something to get Felicity to think about the job ahead. They couldn't afford for her to be distracted at a time like this. Not when Oliver's life was hanging in the balance. "We're going to find Oliver. Okay. We're going to find him and take him home where you can tell him everything that you are thinking. But to do that we need to trace that signal. You're the only one that knows what needs to be done. You need to  _focus._ " She didn't want to be too harsh with her, but also knew that they couldn't do this without her. "Oliver needs you right now Felicity."

"You're right." Felicity said with a nod as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Let's do this!" She said determinedly as she pushed up her glasses and took a deep breath. She noticed that they were just pulling up to the bank.

It took them less than five minutes to find the router. However, just as Felicity hooked up her tablet to start her work Sara tensed. It was only moments later that smoke filled the room and both Sara and Felicity were knocked out.

* * *

Oliver felt like he had failed. He had failed his family, his friends, his Team. From the very beginning, with Yao Fei, Shado, even Slade he had tried to help, to protect them and he had failed everyone who had depended on him who trusted him. He had kept secrets and lied to those who were closest to him since before he left on the Gambit and now he was paying the price. He hung there, silently, painfully, as he realized that he was finally getting what he deserved. His only regret was that he wouldn't get to say goodbye to Felicity.

It was several minutes after Slade had pulled Thea and Roy from the room that his former friend returned.

"How are you doing kid?" Slade asked, knowing full well the answer. He could see the pain in the kids face.

Oliver kept his eyes downcast, avoiding his former friend's eyes.

"Here." Slade said as grabbed Oliver by the jaw, forcing his mouth open. "Swallow these." He said as he put some herbs into Oliver's mouth, forcing them down with some water.

Oliver recognized the herbs as some from the Island.  _He must not be ready for me to die yet._  He thought as he almost choked on the water being forced down his throat. He didn't miss the smile on Slade's face.

"Can't have you dying yet." Slade said with an evil grin on his face. "There are more people for us to have some fun with." Slade said as he turned to the door. It opened a moment later and two people were brought in. One was tied to the chair that Thea had recently vacated and the other was chained up where Detective Lance had just been.

"Enjoy your alone time." Slade said as he left the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Sara? Felicity?"


	26. Intel

Oliver had been ready to give up, to accept his fate, to allow Slade to do whatever he wanted to him. That was until Slade brought Felicity into the room. The moment when he saw her, unconscious and at the mercy of Slade, he knew that he could not give up yet. He had to find a way to get her out of there. If he succeeded at nothing else he would succeed in this.

Sara was hanging on one side of the room and Felicity was occupying the chair on the other side of the room. It had been several minutes since the women had been brought in and Oliver was now doing the only thing that he could do. He was waiting for them to wake up. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he noticed a subtle change in Sara. He knew that she was starting to come to but that she was wary of the fact that Slade could be in the room.

"Sara." Oliver said quietly. "It's just us." He wanted her to know that it was safe to open her eyes and talk to him.

"Oliver!" Sara said with relief as she looked up to see her partner. She was happy that she was finally able to be close to Oliver and see how he was really doing. However, the sight before her made her heart sink. She could see that he was in an incredible amount of pain and was barely hanging on. She suspected, however, that having Felicity here would strengthen his resolve and help him to hold on until they could find a way out.

"Do you know what happened to your Dad, Roy, and Thea?" Oliver asked, hoping that she had at least a bit of information that she could share. He only knew that they had been moved from the room.

"They are all safe." Sara responded carefully, not knowing if Slade was listening in. "They were all dropped off at the Bank that we busted the dealers at. They are fine."

Oliver breathed a sigh of relief. He had hoped for the best, but could not help but suspect the worst had happened. He was happy to know that they were all safe, at least for the moment.

"Dad's pretty beat up but it's nothing that some rest won't take care of." Sara said. She had decided to give Oliver a quick rundown of how everyone was doing so that he wouldn't worry for at least a little while. "Roy is a bit weak right now, but he should be fine once he gets used to it. Thea is doing good. She's pretty shaken but being safe with Roy will help that."

Oliver nodded slowly. He heard everything that Sara was saying out loud, and some things that she wasn't. Lance was obviously injured, but nothing life threatening. His suspicions about Roy were apparently true and he had been cured of the Mirakuru, which left them with an interesting discovery. Thea was pretty shaken but she would be fine. Sara was obviously uninjured, for the moment, which meant she may be able to help him out of here. Diggle had not been mentioned so he had to be safe, and well too. The fact that she didn't mention Laurel, his Mom, or Walter meant that they were still safe as well. That left Felicity.

"Felicity?" Oliver asked as he looked towards her, knowing that Sara would hear all the unasked questions in that one name.

"As good as can be expected." Sara answered quietly. "She's been through a lot, knows more than any of us, and yet she still presses on. She hasn't once given up looking for you."

Oliver was about to respond when he noticed that Felicity was starting to wake up.

"Felicity?" Oliver called to her. He was afraid that she was going to freak out when she finished coming to and he didn't want her to hurt herself in any way.

"Oliver?" Felicity said groggily. She thought she had heard his voice but couldn't tell around the pounding headache that she had, again. She knew she had been taken by Slade for a second time as this was exactly how she had felt the last time he took her. "Oliver, is that really you?" She asked as she started to look around, taking in her surroundings.

"Yes. It's really me." Oliver said with a slight chuckle. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Felicity said, not realizing that she had just used Oliver's favorite word. "My head feels like it's about to explode, but other than that I'm just peachy." She finished sarcastically.

Sara almost laughed at the conversation between Oliver and Felicity. She at least knew that Felicity wasn't injured, or her sarcasm would be lacking. Sara watched as Felicity took in her surroundings and knew the moment the other woman looked in the mirrors in the back of the room. They had seen everything from the video feed that Slade had broadcast to the lair, but seeing it in person, like this, was a whole different matter. Sara had to work to keep her own expressions from showing her true feelings when she had glanced at the mirrors. The sight of Oliver's injured back had made her sick to her stomach,  _and I'm not even the one in love with him_. She thought.

"Felicity!" Oliver called to her, knowing that she had just looked in the mirrors behind him. "FELICITY! Look at my face." He knew that if she didn't look away from those mirrors now then she would lose it.

"Oliver, your back." Felicity said quietly, tears welling up in her eyes as she turned to look at his face.

"I'm fine Felicity." Oliver said, putting as much emphasis into his words as he could. "It will heal. Really, I'm fine!"

"Slade..." Felicity started trying to explain everything to Oliver but was interrupted as the door swung open and the man in question entered again.

* * *

Once Diggle helped Roy onto the medical table he began to look over his young team mate. He knew that there had to be some lasting effects from the large amount of Tibetan Pit Viper Venom that had been delivered into his blood stream, not to mention whatever side effects the cure would have on the kid. After a few minutes of checking his vital signs and making sure there were no injuries Diggle concluded that Roy would be fine, he simply needed some rest to allow the rest of the venom to leave his system.

When Diggle was done with Roy he moved back towards the computers where the Detective and Laurel were sitting. He pulled up the comms and listened as Sara gave Felicity a pep talk. He knew that Felicity was having a hard time dealing with everything that was happening and was pleased when he heard her determination return.

Sara kept them updated on their progress in the Bank and he breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that they had found the router. However, his relief was short lived as he heard the distinct sound of a smoke grenade hitting the floor. It was only a moment later when the comms went dead. Diggle immediately pulled up the GPS trackers for both Sara and Felicity and was furious when they too went dead.  _Slade probably had them destroyed, just like everyone elses_. He thought as he did his best to pull traffic camera feed up on the computers. _Felicity always makes this look_ _so easy._  He thought after his fifth failed attempt to get them to come up.

"What's wrong Digg?" Roy asked from across the room where he had been sitting, talking to Thea.  _ **  
**_

"Sara and Felicity have been taken and their trackers have gone dead." Diggle stated with frustration.

"Yeah, he did that to me too." Roy said quietly as he carefully stood and made his way over to where everyone else was seated as Thea followed closely behind. _ **  
**_

"Do you remember anything that happened?" Diggle asked, hoping that the kid would know _something_  useful.

"Not a lot." Roy started to explain, knowing that the information that he  _could_  remember would be important to the Team. "I had walked outside to do a perimeter check when I was ambushed. I fought off a few guys before Slade showed up. We fought for a few minutes before Slade managed to knock me down. He must have thought I was unconscious because they then loaded me into a van without tying me up or anything. I did my best to let them think I was out. Didn't want him to actually knock me out."

"What did the van look like?" Diggle asked, digging for as much intel as he could.

"I think it was a black van." Roy said after a moment of thought. "I'm not sure though."

"We were dropped off at the bank in a black van." Thea said quickly. "Do you think it was the same one?"

"Probably." Diggle answered, knowing that the chances that they would have multiple vehicles were slim. "Do you remember anything else about the van?"

"No, I don't. It was dark inside is all I remember." Roy said, feeling as though he had let the Team down with the lack of intel that he had gathered. "Besides, they injected me with something not long after we started moving. It knocked me out." _ **  
**_

"If it was the same van then the windows were blacked out." Thea supplied, relying on her memory of the van in question. "It looked like a fifteen passenger van, with the two doors on the side and the two in the back. There weren't any seats, just carpet in the back."

"Do you remember anything about your trip to the bank?" Diggle asked Thea, hoping that she had remembered something.

"Umm, it didn't take long to get there." Thea said as she thought carefully. "We started out in a garage. When we came out we took a couple of sharp turns. I only know that because it knocked me off balance. I think we crossed some railroad tracks but I'm not sure." She was silent for a couple more minutes before she sighed. "I'm sorry, I don't remember anything else."

"That's fine Thea." Diggle reassured her. "That has helped narrow it down some. Don't worry, we'll find them!"

"Guys!" Laurel said with concern evident in her voice as she pointed at the video feed on the monitor. "Slade just walked back in."


	27. Water

Sara, Felicity,and Oliver looked to Slade as the man entered the room. He was followed by two men rolling in a very large metal tub filled with water. They placed it in the middle of the room before the two guards moved to stand one on each side of the now closed door.  _ **  
**_

"Nice to see you again Sara." Slade said as he went to stand right in front of her.

"What do you want Slade?" Sara spit back at him.

"I made a promise to Oliver." Slade said with a smile before turning to look at Oliver. "I'm simply keeping that promise. I told you that you would know complete despair." He turned to Felicity before continuing. "Do you remember how I said I was going to keep that promise Miss Smoak?" Slade asked, not missing the look of shock on Oliver's face.  _No doubt the Kid never told anyone about our little discussion on the Amazo._  Slade thought as he waited for Felicity to respond. "Go on... Tell them."

"Slade..." Felicity started hesitantly before noticing the glare on Slade's face and realizing that there was no way around telling them what she knew. "He said that death would be a release from this life and that your sentence is yet to be carried out." Felicity finally said as she looked to Oliver, cursing how Slade's words were burned in her memory for eternity. She could see the slight change in the look in Oliver's eyes and knew that these words were bringing back memories that he would rather forget. "He told me that he was going to tear everything you care about away from you. He said he was going to destroy those who choose to follow you and corrupt those you love." Felicity said a bit quieter as she looked away from Oliver, unable to look him in the eyes as she knew exactly what those words meant as she knew  _who_ Oliver loved and was a bit worried about what Slade had in store for her.

"You have a very good memory Miss Smoak." Slade said with a huge smile on his face as he turned to look at Oliver once again. "What did I tell you I would do at the end?"

Felicity swallowed hard before answering. "He said that once you have lost everyone and everything you value he will drive an arrow through your eye." She said, barely above a whisper. Felicity couldn't keep back the tears that escaped as she finished retelling what the mad man standing before her had told her the last time she was in his custody. She had imagined so many possible ways that Slade would keep his promise and had had to watch his promises come true.

Oliver couldn't believe what Slade had told Felicity. He knew that he would have been able to handle anything that Slade did to him, even if it killed him. But, it seemed his old friend knew just what to do to really hurt him. Apparently Slade had discovered that by going after Oliver's Team, his friends, his family, that Oliver would feel the most pain. Sure, Oliver was in quite a lot of physical pain, but Slade had mastered the art of emotional pain and was putting his knowledge to good use. He could feel his chest constricting with the pent up emotion. He knew that everything that had happened recently was his fault and he was now at a loss as to what he could do to get those he cared about out of this situation.

Sara's heart broke for Oliver and Felicity as she listened to what Slade had told the other blonde. She knew that it had to be hard, knowing what Slade had planned and unable to do anything about it. Suddenly everything fell into place for Sara as she thought about what had happened, to her Dad, to Roy, to Thea, it finally all made sense why Slade was doing what he was doing. She suddenly became extremely worried for Felicity as it seemed Slade was going to try to rip Oliver's heart out by hurting the woman he loved.  _Come on John, find a way to get us out of here...fast._ Sara thought as she noticed Slade motion to the two men that had been standing by the door.

"I still remember our time on the Amazo with vivid clarity." Slade said as the two men moved to release Sara from her chains. "Do you?"

Sara saw a brief window of opportunity when the two men came and released her from her restraints. She waited until the men pulled her hands behind her back before she made her move. She jerked her head back, making contact with one of the men's noses, hearing it snap with the impact, before she spun and kicked the other man in the stomach. She was reaching for the first man's neck, to snap it, when Slade grabbed her around the neck and threw her against the wall. Sara slid to the ground just as Slade put his foot on her back, effectively pinning her to the ground.

"You should not have done that Sara." Slade growled as the man that she had kicked came and painfully bound her hands behind her back. Once that was finished Slade pulled her to her feet to stand next to the tub of water in the middle of the room.

"Sara!" Felicity cried as she saw how Slade threw her friend against the wall before pinning her to the ground. Now she watched as they moved to stand in from of the tub and Felicity again remembered some more of the things that Slade said he was going to do to her Team, her friends, her family. "No!"

"Don't worry Miss Smoak." Slade said with a grin in her direction. "I'm not going to kill her... yet."

"Slade." Oliver growled, afraid of what it appeared was about to happen to Sara.

"What Oliver?" Slade said with a sneer. "Are you going to offer to take her place? Are you going to ask me to let her go? Well neither of those things is going to happen. It is just as much her fault as yours that Shado is no longer here." Slade grabbed Sara around the neck again as he continued. "You remember what happened to her when the Amazo went down? I'm sure it's not much different from what happened when the Gambit sank. I'm sure you still dream about how the ship was ripped in two, how the water swirled into the hull where we fought, how she was dragged out into the cold Ocean. She could have drowned, because of  _you."_ Slade pushed Sara down until she was bending at the waist over the tub of water. "I wonder if she is afraid of drowning."

* * *

Diggle was furious. He had been trying to find Oliver, Sara, and Felicity and had come up empty handed. He had tried to find a way to track the van that Roy and Thea had been transported in but couldn't get the computers to do what he wanted them to. Now he was standing, safe, in their lair as his Team mates were at the hands of Slade. His felt the dread as he realized that Felicity really did know more than she was letting on. She had been keeping a huge secret about Slade's intentions and that made him sad for her. He couldn't help the brief flash of hope that he felt when he saw Sara start to engage the guard in a fight and thought that he had seen her grab something when she headbutted the guard but it was hard to tell if he was right as she was moving so quickly. However, his hope vanished as he watched Slade pin her to the ground before walking her towards the tub.

Thea could not believe what Slade had told Felicity he was going to do. She knew that the man had some strange fixation on her brother and that had worried her. However, knowing that he had planned this years ago scared her.  _He had like four years to plan this._  She thought as she came to the realization that every single thing that Slade had done, starting the night he had first abducted her, had all been a part of his big plan to torture Oliver. She suddenly felt even more determined to bring this creep down and resolved to do anything and everything that she could to help.

Roy knew that the Mirakuru messed with your mind but he could not believe just how warped Slade was.  _What happened to him to make him like this?_  He thought as he listened to what Felicity had been told. As she finished telling what Slade had said to her he caught Diggle's eye and knew that they agreed, they had to get their Team out of there...now!

Laurel was in shock. She knew that Sara had been lost at sea when the Gambit went down but she was not aware of the fact that it had happened twice. She didn't know exactly what had happened while her sister was gone but what she did know, with the new details that had just been shared, was that it had to have been a horrible experience for Sara. She simply hoped that they would be rescued before Sara was hurt too badly.

Lance felt his heart drop into his stomach when Slade started to talk. He knew that Oliver already felt defeated from everything that Slade had already said and knew that what Slade and Felicity were saying now would not help matters any. When Slade talked about how Sara had been pulled into the ocean he couldn't help the shivers that traveled down his spine at the images his mind supplied. He knew precious few details about what had happened to his youngest and hearing more of those details now painted a very cold, grim picture in his mind. He couldn't help the fear that crept up when Sara was walked over to the tub of water. He was afraid for his daughter, after all she probably had a very healthy fear of drowning after having almost drowned twice in the last few years.

The group in the lair watched with bated breath as Slade pushed Sara's face closer and closer to the water, afraid for their Team mate, sister and daughter. As Slade submerged Sara's head into the water Lance could not hold back his cry.

"Sara!"


	28. Training

Sara knew what Slade had planned for her from the moment they released her from her chains. She had seen an opportunity present itself, however briefly, which is why she had attacked the guards. She knew that she didn't really have any hope of beating them, but she  _had_ accomplished what she had set out to do.  _ **  
**_

"Slade." Oliver growled and Sara could hear threat in his tone and winced slightly, afraid that Slade's reaction would be to hurt Oliver further.

"What Oliver? Are you going to offer to take her place? Are you going to ask me to let her go? Well neither of those things is going to happen. It is just as much her fault as yours that Shado is no longer here." Sara felt Slade's unforgiving grip on her neck again as he continued to taunt Oliver. "You remember what happened to her when the Amazo went down? I'm sure it's not much different from what happened when the Gambit sank. I'm sure you still dream about how the ship was ripped in two, how the water swirled into the hull where we fought, how she was dragged out into the cold Ocean. She could have drowned, because of  _you._ I wonder if she is afraid of drowning."

Now she was standing, bent over a full tub of water, with Slade's hand around her neck. She took a brief moment, as Slade finished talking, to get her breathing under control and gather her thoughts, to ground herself and focus on the task at hand. It was time to draw on all those hours of training with Nyssa and prove that she had overcome her paralyzing fear of drowning.

As Slade pushed her head under water she calmly remembered when the Gambit went down and how she had felt so helpless, terrified, and how it was a miracle that she had survived. After a surprising short amount of time Slade pulled her head up again. She took that opportunity to fill her lungs with oxygen and to look at Oliver. The brief moment that their eyes met she tried to assure him that she would be fine. After a moment Slade dunked her head under again, holding it there longer the second time.

"How long can a Canary live under water?" Slade asked as he held Sara's head underwater for the second time. He would continue to increase the time that he held her under until she, or Oliver, finally broke.

"Slade stop!" Oliver pleaded. He knew that Sara had to be afraid of drowning, especially after the Gambit  _and_ the Amazo. He didn't know if he would survive watching her drown again.

As Sara was being held underwater the second time she thought back to when she had been sucked out of the Amazo. It had happened just like it had with the Gambit. The hull of the ship had split open, the cold ocean water swirling in, sucking her into the depths of the water. She had almost drowned for the second time that night. She would have drowned, if Nyssa hadn't found her and rescued her. It was thoughts of that woman that helped her remain in control.

Felicity watched, tears in her eyes and streaming down her face, as Sara was pulled out of the water for the second time. She was beyond pleading with Slade because she knew that her words would fall on deaf ears. Slade was on a mission and nothing short of a miracle would get them out of this now. She turned her gaze to Oliver who looked like he was trapped between the past and the present. She knew that watching Slade attempt to drown Sara would have brought back all the memories that he had tried to bury.  _Hang in there Oliver._ She thought as she noticed Slade pushing Sara down for the third time.

* * *

"Sara!" Lance had cried the first time he saw his youngest daughter being forced under the water. He knew that she had been through a lot when the Gambit went down but he was surprised to learn that she had been on a sinking boat not once but twice, and almost drowned the second time as well. He knew that if it were him he would be terrified of water. He watched, shocked, as Sara endured the torture with shocking calmness.

"I spent months teaching her how to overcome that fear." Said a voice by the stairs.

Everyone in the lair turned suddenly at the voice.

"Nyssa!" Diggle said, shocked that he hadn't heard the woman enter the lair and cursing himself for not being more aware of his surroundings. "Is the League here as well?" He asked, needing to know how many people were here, on their side.

"Only a few and they are helping protect the Queen Mansion." Nyssa responded as she walked further into the lair. "We went there first to try to find Sara and got there just in time to stop Slade's men from taking Mr. Steele and Mrs. Queen." She said as she looked to Diggle. "Not to worry, we stopped them before they breached the property. Mr. Steele and Mrs. Queen are not aware of the attempted breach."

"Thank you." Diggle said, the sincerity clear in his voice.

Nyssa then turned to look at the computer monitor with the video feed and a sad smile crossed her face.

"You said you helped her overcome her fear?" Lance questioned, unwanted curiosity pushed him to find out just how fearful Sara had been of water and how the Assassin had helped her overcome that fear.

"When I found her she had almost drowned for the second time." Nyssa said as she watched Sara being dunked for the fourth time. "We took her to Nanda Parbat and trained her. It took many months of discipline before she overcame her fear."

"How can she be so calm though? I mean, I would be freaking out." Laurel said, cringing as Slade held Sara under the water yet again.

"Our training focused on breathing and lowering her heart rate." Nyssa explained, remembering the days that she trained Sara. "A person only starts to panic when they have too much carbon dioxide in their system. If you hyperventilate right before you go under you expel the extra carbon dioxide, allowing your body to retain more oxygen. As you're under the water you can also postpone the panic reaction by slowing your heart rate, effectively slowing the carbon dioxide as well."

"How long?" Diggle asked curiously as he watched Slade hold Sara under for another extended period of time.

"Eighteen minutes." Nyssa responded, knowing that the man was asking how long Sara could hold her breath under water. "I don't think Slade will realize how effectively she has overcome her fear."

* * *

Sara thought back to the many hours that she had spent with Nyssa, overcoming this fear. She had learned how to release the extra carbon dioxide in her system and reserving her oxygen. She recalled the many ways that she was taught to lower her heart rate, to allow her to stay under longer. As Slade pushed her under, for probably the tenth time, she almost smiled.  _There is no way he will realize that I can hold my breath for almost twenty minutes._ She thought with a silent laugh.

Oliver could not believe that Sara was still conscious. He knew that he would not have been able to withstand the continual dunking like that without passing out. He was happy that she seemed to be in complete control and was holding on so well. He was even more relieved when the next time Slade allowed her a breath she gave him a slight wink. This let him know that she would be okay.

Slade was getting irritated. He had been trying to make Sara gasp for air, to get a lung full of water. Apparently, though, she was more stubborn that he gave her credit for. He had dunked her under the water over twenty times and she had yet to try to breathe under the water. He was getting mad.

"Fine." Slade said as he pulled her out of the water for the last time, after holding her under for almost ten minutes. "If you are going to continue to act that way then that is fine with me." He said as he pulled her back to the chains and held her until she was hanging again. He then had the two men leave the room with the tub of water, bringing in a couple of large water bottles instead.

"Apparently you can handle water better than I suspected." Slade said to Sara before turning to Oliver. "Time to see if you can handle it as well."

Oliver had a suspicion about what Slade had planned next for him and was proven to be right when the man walked over to him and grabbed him by the chin. Slade forced his mouth open, tilting his head back, and had one of his men to hold Oliver's nose closed. Slade then proceeded to pour the bottle of water into Oliver's mouth, forcing him to swallow as much water as he could to avoid drowning. Half way through the second bottle Oliver couldn't swallow anymore water and started to cough. Slade finally stopped pouring the water down his throat and released his hold on him. It was seconds later that Oliver could no longer control his reflexes and all the water that he had just swallowed made it's way up again as Oliver vomited.

"Apparently you can't handle water quite as well." Slade said with a laugh before turning to his men in the room. "Clean him up."

Felicity had watched as Slade made good on his promise and attempted to make Sara panic as she was being held under the water. She had been worried for her friend as she knew that it would only be natural for her to have a fear of water after what had happened to her while she was gone. She was relieved, however, when it was evident that Sara was not being affected like Slade had hoped. Her heart sank though when Slade moved on to Oliver. This was not a part of his original plan, at least not a part that he had shared. She cried Oliver's name as Slade attempted to drown him with the water.  _Come on Oliver, you can survive this._  She thought to herself.

It was as Slade was pouring the second bottle down Oliver's throat that Felicity became even more worried. It was evident that Oliver was no longer able to swallow the water and knew that he would have to vomit soon or he would drown from it. She was heartbroken as she watched Oliver empty the contents of his stomach, head hanging forward in exhaustion. She knew from her MIT days that he had not swallowed enough to do any damage other than maybe a bit of fluid in his lungs and she simply hoped that Diggle and Roy would find them and get them out before it became a problem.

Slade's men had left the room for a moment and returned with a couple of buckets of water which they threw on Oliver to clean up the mess that he had made. Once that was accomplished they turned to Slade who nodded to them before they left the room yet again. Slade stayed in the room for only a moment after.

"Miss Smoak, have you ever wondered about Oliver's tattoos?" Slade asked with a bit of a smile. When Felicity didn't respond he continued. "Soon you will learn about one of them. Until then..." Slade finished as he left the room.

It was only moments after Slade left that Felicity watched the two men return, bringing in a chair with them. It looked similar to a chair that would be found in a tattoo parlor. Not that Felicity had ever gotten a tattoo before, but she had come close in MIT. She had the design on her shoulder and everything but had backed out at the last moment. This chair looked exactly like the one she had sat in briefly before she chickened out. She struggled as the two men came over and removed her from her chair before then strapping her down to the chair that they had just brought in. They then left the trio alone as they left and the door closed behind them.

"Felicity!" Oliver said, the pain and worry evident in his raspy voice. "Do you know what he is going to do?" Oliver asked, worried about what the response was going to be.

"No."


	29. Morocco

"What is he going to do?" Roy asked as they watched Felicity being moved to the new chair in the room.

"That's a tattoo chair." Thea said knowingly. "What? I thought about it a couple of times while Ollie was gone. Don't worry, I didn't do it." She said in response to the shocked looks from Diggle, Lance, and Laurel.

"That can't be good." Diggle said quietly. "We have to get them out of there."

* * *

Oliver was beyond mad now. Slade had beaten Lance, cured Roy, told Thea that he was keeping more secrets from her, tried to drown Sara and himself, and was now preparing to do who knows what to Felicity. He pulled on his restraints, wincing as the manacles dug into his wrists and the effort pulled at his back causing it to hurt again.

"Oliver stop." Sara said, noticing that he was frustrated and trying to get out of his chains. "You're just going to hurt yourself more."

"How did you do that Sara?" Felicity asked, wanting to change the subject before Oliver started to growl at them. Besides, she was curious as to how her friend had managed not to panic as Slade held her under the water.

"Training." Sara supplied in response. At the questioning look from Oliver and Felicity she continued. "When Nyssa found me I was floating on a piece of wreckage from the Amazo. She took me back to Nanda Parbat to train me. She told me that a member of the League of Assassins could not have fears, knowing that I was terrified of water. She took it upon herself to train me, to help me overcome it." Sara smiled briefly as she recalled the many hours they spent doing just that. "It took months but eventually I overcame the fear and was able to remain underwater longer than anyone else there."

Oliver was happy to know that she had overcome that fear. He had been terrified for her when Slade began, afraid that she would not be able to maintain control and beat Slade at his own game. He had felt a bit of relief though when Sara winked at him and he couldn't help his sense of relief when Slade finally released her.

"Oliver, are you okay?" Sara asked, knowing that some of the water he had been forced to swallow had probably ended up in his lungs.

"I'm fine." Oliver said, knowing that it wasn't really true but not wanting to worry them.

"Sure you are." Felicity said as she rolled her eyes. "This is so not comfortable by the way." She said as she tried to adjust how she was strapped down. She was in a chair that had her leaning forward slightly. There were also armrests that held her arms out in front of her, enough to keep her from moving but they had also been careful not to stretch her back too much.

"You know Felicity, this isn't either. However, it is much better than the one time I was in Morocco." Sara said, surprising both Oliver and Felicity. They had never heard much about Sara's time away and both ere shocked that she chose now to enlighten them. "That time I had been caught, intentionally by the way. Much more uncomfortable than this."

* * *

"Morocco!" Nyssa exclaimed, surprising everyone in the lair.

"What about Morocco?" Diggle asked, having a gut feeling that there was something important about that statement.

"We were sent there on a contract." Nyssa explained, ignoring the looks from Laurel and Thea. "Sara volunteered to be captured in order to get close to the mark. They gassed her to knock her out, which didn't work even though she didn't let them know that. They then took her to a black van and took her underground to their warehouse."

"Is she giving us clues?" Roy asked, hoping that it was the case.

"She would know that Slade is watching and listening." Diggle said as he looked at Nyssa. "She also knows that  _we_ are watching and listening."

"She is telling you how to find her." Nyssa provided in response to the questioning looks from Laurel and Lance. "She was taken in a black van to an underground warehouse."

"Ok, so we just need to find where that could be." Diggle said as he turned back to Felicity's computers.

"Here, let me try." Thea stated as the moved to sit in front of the monitors. "I've done my share of computer classes. Let me see if I can figure something out." She wanted, no  _needed_ , to do something useful for once.

"Alright, let me know if you have any luck." Diggle said as he moved away from the computers. "Hopefully you have more success that I did."

* * *

Just as Sara was about to start talking again Slade re-entered the room followed closely by a man who wheeled a table, covered in a cloth, in with him.

"Oliver, do you remember our time on the Amazo?" Slade asked, knowing that the kid did by the look in Oliver's eyes. "I told you about the Romans. How they would brand their criminals to allow the world to know what their crimes were and to forever remind them of what they had done." Slade said as he walked to stand just behind Oliver's right shoulder. Sara and Felicity could see exactly what Slade was doing thanks to the mirrors in the room. Placing a hand on Oliver's left shoulder, right over his dragon tattoo, he continued. "Shado wore this tattoo on her back. Now you wear it, for the rest of your life, as a reminder of how  _you_  killed her." Slade said before moving to place a hand on Felicity's left shoulder.

Sara knew that Slade had given Oliver the tattoo. He had  _not_  had it before the attack on the Amazo but had it when they got him back from Slade. However, she had never heard why Slade had given it to Oliver and could not help but notice the look of pain in Oliver's eyes as Slade forced him to recall what had happened, and why.

Oliver remembered getting the tattoo, like it was yesterday. He felt guilty for Shado's death and the tattoo served as a reminder of the choice that he had made that fateful day on the Island. It was at the precise moment that Slade touched Felicity's shoulder that Oliver realized what the other man had planned, and that thought made his heart sink.

"Miss Smoak has such lovely skin." Slade said as his hand rested on her left shoulder. "I wonder, has her beauty ever been marred?" Slade asked as before ripping Felicity's shirt off, leaving her in her bra. He then traced the scar on her right shoulder. "It looks like it has." Slade said thoughtfully. "Whatever could have made this scar? Possibly an arrow? Looks like you share a scar with Oliver." Slade said as he walked around and kneeled in front of Felicity. "How would you like to bear another matching mark on your beautiful body. Something to remind you of what being close to Oliver means?" He laughed as he stood and walked towards the door. "You can begin." He said to the other man in the room before he turned and left.

It was moments later when Felicity felt the sting of a needle on her back. The item that had been covered on the table was a tattoo machine. The man was now giving her a tattoo on her left shoulder.

It was only a few minutes before the heat in the room, mixed with the needle on her shoulder, caused Felicity to pass out.


	30. The Dragon Tattoo

"What is he doing?" Thea asked as she leaned in to get a better look at what the man was doing to Felicity.

"Giving her a tattoo, what does it look like." Laurel retorted back.

"I can see that." Thea stated irritably. "What I meant was what tattoo is he giving her and why?"

"I guess we will have to wait and see." Diggle said. He was worried for his Team and not being able to do anything was about to drive him crazy. "Any luck Thea?" He asked, breaking Thea's attention away from the video feed.

"I think I almost have the traffic cameras up." Thea responded as she turned back to the other monitors and began to work furiously again. "Give me just a few more minutes."

* * *

Oliver watched as the man branded Felicity for life. He knew what tattoo she was getting and it made his heart ache. He had had to live with the knowledge of what he had done every day since Shado had died. Every time he saw his back in the mirror he was reminded of the decision that he had made. He questioned himself, always wondering if he had made the right choice, if there was anything else he could have done. He had realized though that it was pointless to live in the land of  _'_ what if'. Every scenario that he thought of ended in either Sara or Shado being killed. It had been a no win situation, much as he was in now. He was relieved when Felicity had passed out, thankful that she wasn't conscious for this. He was unable to tear his eyes away from Felicity the entire time the man was branding her, because of him. He didn't deserve the luxury of looking away. _ **  
**_

Sara really felt bad for Oliver. She had realized what Slade was up to the moment he touched Felicity's shoulder and knew that this would break Oliver's heart. _I hope he can learn to look past her scars, the tattoo, just as she had for him._ Sara thought as they both hung in silence, the only sound in the room being from the machine sitting by Felicity.  _ **  
**_

It was quite a while later when the sound of the machine stopped suddenly. Sara looked up and joined Oliver in looking towards Felicity, looking to see what had just happened. It was only a moment after the machine was turned off that the door to the room opened and Slade returned. He walked over to Felicity and placed a hand tenderly on her shoulder, a look of longing then pain evident in his eyes.

"Perfectly done." Slade said after a minute. "Release her."

The man put away his tools before untying Felicity from the chair and laying her on the cold floor, her back to Oliver. He then left with the table of tools as two more men came in to remove the chairs in the room.

"She won't be a bother." Slade said as he turned to Oliver who now had a perfect view of the new tattoo on Felicity's shoulder. "Now you can enjoy the look of Shado's Dragon on your Felicity. Let  _her_  remind you of what you have done, of how  _ **you**_  are responsible for Shado's death." He said with a smile, noting the look of pain and regret on Oliver's face. Slade took the opportunity that Oliver presented with his distraction with Felicity to land another solid punch to the younger man's face, earning Oliver what would turn into a black eye. Slade didn't stop there however, he continued to punch Oliver in the ribs and stomach repeatedly for about two minutes before deciding that he had had enough. "Don't worry kid, I'll be back soon." Slade said before he turned and left the room with a laugh.

* * *

"Hey, I've seen that tattoo before." Laurel said, pointing at Felicity's new tattoo as the man finished with her. "Doesn't Oliver have one just like it?" She asked as she leaned in closer to the monitor to compare the image of Oliver's back with Felicity's back in the four views from the room.

"Yeah." Diggle stated quietly. He really felt for Oliver as Slade explained why he had given Felicity the tattoo of the Dragon on her back, just like Shado. Diggle had never heard much about the woman, but he knew enough to know that Oliver felt responsible for her death.

"Why? Why would he do that to them?" Roy asked, he had heard what Slade said but he still didn't get it.

"Sara told me a story." Nyssa began, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "Someone made Oliver choose between her and the woman named Shado. The other woman is the one that was killed. I am sure that Slade is simply trying to punish Oliver for that fact."

Lance looked at Nyssa in shock. He had known that both Sara and Oliver had been through so much while they were away, but for some reason he had never thought about the fact that they would have had to make life or death decisions like that. He had known that Oliver had been tortured, by the kid's own admission. He had just never realized that he owed Oliver for his daughter's life. He had spent so much time hating Oliver because he thought he had killed Sara by taking her on the Gambit when in all reality he owed the man a thanks for saving her life. He realized, yet again, just how much Oliver had changed into the man that he is today, a hero.

Lance was pulled out of his own thoughts as he heard a small cry from Thea. He looked up and focused on the monitor again and winced as he watched Slade slam a fist into Oliver's side. He knew that his own ribs still hurt from the whip and had a feeling that Oliver would feel worse from Slade's fist. They all watched in silence until Slade left the room again. Everyone was shocked when Diggle started to laugh out loud.

"Why are you laughing?" Thea asked accusingly. Not understanding why he was laughing when her brother was still in so much pain. She became even more irritated when she noticed the grin that was growing on Roy's face. "What is wrong with you guys?"

"Slade just made his biggest mistake." Diggle said once he was able to breathe again.

"What do you mean?" Laurel asked curiously, also wanting to know why the men were laughing.

"He left Felicity untied." Roy said as he wiped tears from his eyes because he had been laughing so hard. He pointed to the Lessons that were posted on the wall as he continued. "Lesson Number Seven: Never bet against Felicity."

"That says it only applies when you are voting." Laurel pointed out the rest of the Lesson that was posted.

"Ahh yes, but, if you remember Tockman in particular you will remember that he bet against Felicity, underestimated her. That was his big mistake!" Roy explained. "He thought he had outsmarted her, when in all reality she outsmarted him and used his own tech against him, stopping him in his tracks."

"Kid's right." Diggle said with a smile. "Never bet against, or underestimate, Felicity. She's our secret weapon and Slade just gave her free reign." He finished as he looked back to the monitor, noticing that their Secret Weapon was just waking up.

* * *

Felicity ached, her arms ached, her legs ached, her back ached, she ached pretty much everywhere. As she slowly started to open her eyes she was confused. She remembered being tied to that dumb tattoo chair as some jerk drew on her shoulder.  _Why am I on the ground now?_  She thought confused. She slowly started to move to sit up when she heard his voice behind her.

"Felicity!" Oliver cried, relieved that she was waking up again. "Felicity, are you hurt?"

"No." Felicity responded as she slowly stood up, wobbling for a moment before she became solid on her feet again. "I'm not hurt, just sore and achy. Hey, where's my shirt?" She asked as she looked around. She walked over to where it now lay in a heap on the ground, shredded. "He ripped it!" She exclaimed as she picked it up off the ground. "That idiot ruined one of my favorite shirts! I can't believe he did that. How inconsiderate of..."

"Felicity!" Oliver interrupted her. As relieved as he was at the sound of her voice and the fact that she was uninjured there was still this small matter of them being in Slade's company.

"Ooooh, I'm rambling again aren't I?" Felicity asked, her cheeks turning red as she realized that she was standing shirtless in front of Oliver.

"Just a little." Sara laughed. She couldn't help but be amused at the fact that Felicity was rambling, and clearly embarrassed at her lack of clothing.

"Oliver." Felicity said quietly as she turned towards him.

"I'm fine Felicity." Oliver said quietly, noting the worry in her voice. He was actually anything  _but_  fine. He had been forced to watch as his Team was tortured, as the woman he loved was held captive and branded, all because of a choice that he had made. Right now he felt like he had the night of the Undertaking as he was forced to watch as the Glades were destroyed, during the time that Malcolm held and tortured them all. He was out of ideas and out of strength after Slade's last beating.

"I didn't know Felicity." Oliver tried to explain, some of the pent up emotion able to be heard in his raspy voice. "Five years ago I was a completely different person and I had no idea that something like this was even possible. I couldn't have imagined it." He explained to her, needing her to understand that he would have done  _anything_  to keep her, and the Team, out of the situation that they were in. "When you and Diggle brought me back to Starling City I made a vow that I would never let anything like the Undertaking happen again."  _ **  
**_

"What's happening now... It's not your fault." Felicity said as she took step closer to Oliver, willing him to look up at her.

"Yes it is." Oliver said, trying to swallow his emotions. "I have failed my Team! Yao Fei, Shado, Tommy, my Father. All that I've ever wanted to do was honor those people."

"You honor the dead by fighting." Felicity said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. "And you are  _not done fighting!"_  She practically yelled at him. She could see how close he was to giving up, to letting Slade win. "Malcolm Merlyn. The Count. The Clock King. The Triad. Everyone who has tried to hurt this city, this Team, you've stopped them!" She said, her voice rose as she stood directly in front of Oliver.  _ **  
**_

Felicity reached up and placed a hand gently on his cheek and he leaned into her touch, wishing that he could believe what she was telling him but not seeing how it was possible, he had no strength left with which to fight.

Felicity knew that he felt defeated. She could see it in his eyes, in the way that he leaned into her, in the way that he had no more strength to hold himself in a standing position. She knew what she had to do, to say. "Let me tell you three things." Felicity said a bit quieter, wanting to be sure that he actually listened to what she was saying. He slowly lifted his head and looked at her. "You are not alone, I believe in you, and I love you Oliver Queen." _ **  
**_

Oliver couldn't believe what he had just heard come from Felicity. He knew that he was not alone. His Team reminded him of that constantly. He knew that she believed in him, she told him so just before they escaped from Malcolm. However, he had _not_  heard her say that she loved him. He had told her, wanted her to know just how much she meant to him but they had not had that much time to just talk since then. Things had gone downhill very quickly.

"Oliver, I love you and I  _do not_  want to lose the man I love so quickly after finding out that he feels the same way about me." Felicity said in almost a whisper as she held his head in her hands. "Please Oliver, fight, for me! So that we can finally be together, like we deserve to be."

"I don't know how to get us out of here." Oliver whispered, closing his eyes again as he realized that no matter how much he  _wanted_  to get her out of there he had no way of doing so.

"I might be able to help with that." Sara said. She had observed the couple silently, knowing that their conversation was for them alone and had allowed them this moment. She had seen that Oliver was out of strength and had given up after he saw Felicity with the Dragon tattoo. She honestly was surprised that it had taken that long after all that Oliver had been through recently. What she had not expected was the speech from Felicity.  _That girl really knows how to bring out the hero in Oliver_ _._  She thought with a smile.

"How?" Felicity asked as she took a step back from Oliver to look at Sara. "The door is locked, you two are chained up, and I'm sorry..." She said as she turned to Oliver. "No matter how  _fine_ you are you are not getting out of these chains like you did with Malcolm. So how do you expect us to get out of here?"

"I have a key." Sara whispered, unable to stop the huge grin on her face. "Besides, the lab is right across the hall. I saw it when the door opened. I'm willing to bet that there is more cure in there."

"When did you get a key?" Felicity asked, noticing the smile on both Oliver and Sara's faces.

"You remember the guy with the broken nose?" Sara asked, laughing as Felicity's mouth formed an O as she realized what Sara was saying. "It's in my right pocket, but I can't reach it."

Felicity walked over and pulled the key out of Sara's pocked, however the smile on her face fell as she realized something.

"I'm too short." Felicity said sadly. "I can't reach either of your cuffs."

"Felicity." Oliver said, gaining the blonde's attention. "Do you think you can get out, and across the hall, to see if there is a cure in the lab?" Oliver was hoping that she could do it...it was their only chance.

"Yeah." Felicity said, feeling relieved that she could finally do something and yet terrified at what she might find at the other side of the door. Suddenly she had an idea. She ran over to the door and quickly unlocked it, the lock turned surprisingly quietly. She then ran back over to Sara.

"Here, place the key in my mouth. I can get it from there." Sara said, having come up with a plan while Felicity was unlocking the door. The blonde reached as far as she could to give her the key before turning back to the door.

"Felicity." Oliver needed to say one last thing to Felicity before she snuck out.

"Yes Oliver?" Felicity asked as she turned back to him, hand on the door handle.

"I love you! Be careful." Oliver pleaded.

Felicity smiled, usually it was the other way around.

"I'll always come back to you Oliver!"


	31. Secret Weapon

Felicity carefully, and as quietly as she could, pushed the door open. She poked her head around the corner, looking to see if anyone was there, and was surprised to find that the hall was empty. She listened for a moment to make sure that no one was coming before she quickly closed the door and darted across the hall. It was the lab, just like Sara had thought, and someone had been dumb enough to leave the door open for her. She quickly entered the room and closed the door behind her, throwing the deadbolt to lock the door before turning around and taking a deep breath. Then she smiled.

Felicity ran across the lab to the beautiful computer that was sitting on the desk, calling her name.  _Now this I can do_. She thought with a smile as she sat down and started typing. Just as she had gotten started though she heard loud voices in the hall. "They must have noticed I got out." She said to herself, then she remembered that Oliver and Sara were still in the room and as of yet could not defend themselves. Just as she started to panic she noticed that there were electronic locks on the doors as well and decided to reprogram the ones for the holding room and the lab so that no one would be able to enter. Once that was accomplished she tuned out the voices in the hallway and started working furiously on the computer.  _ **  
**_

* * *

Oliver watched Felicity leave the room and the door close behind her. He couldn't help the worry that he felt, knowing that _his girl_  was risking her life for him and Sara, yet again. It was just moments after Felicity had walked out the door that he heard loud voices and pounding feet coming down the hall. He looked to Sara and their eyes met for a brief moment before they heard the click of a lock in the door.

Sara turned quickly to the door when she heard the click and couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "Felicity!"

"She's remarkable." Oliver replied quietly, the worry still very evident in his voice.

"She's going to be fine Oliver." Sara said as she turned back to her shackles. She was trying to use the key in her mouth to unlock them. It was proving to be very challenging.

* * *

"Um guys!" Thea called worriedly. She had been trying to focus on pulling up the video feeds again after Felicity's speech to her brother but was finding it extremely difficult. She was brought out of her own thoughts though when the screen in front of her changed suddenly.

"What's wrong Thea?" Roy asked, noting the worry in her voice.

"I'm not sure, but the computer screen just changed." Thea replied turning to the rest of the group.

"Are we being hacked again?" Diggle asked as he walked closer to the computer.

"I don't know!" Thea cried.

Roy pulled Thea into a big hug. She had been through a lot lately and was clearly about to reach the point when she couldn't function anymore without crying.

"Felicity!" Diggle said in a loud whisper, awestruck. His words drew the attention of everyone in the room.

"How?" Lance asked, surprised.

"We know she was able to get out of the room." Diggle explained as he stared at the screen. "She must have found a computer."

Suddenly a map showed up on the computer screen with a blinking red dot. It was showing a location in the Glades.

"That's two blocks from here!" Diggle growled, irritated that they had been so close the whole time.

"How do we know that's really Felicity?" Roy asked, hesitant that it would be a trap. Right at that moment however a message popped up on the screen that made Roy laugh.

_Yes! It's really me, Felicity_ _. Now, would you guys please hurry up and come rescue us because there are some really big men out there and they are trying to get to Sara and Oliver who can't defend themselves yet. Hurry already!_

Diggle couldn't help but laugh at the message. "Yep, it's definitely Felicity!" He said as he turned to quickly load up on weapons and ammo.

Roy quickly put his red hoodie on and then turned to get his bow and quiver.

"You're not thinking about going too are you?" Thea asked, worried for her boyfriend.

"Thea," Roy said as he knelt down in front of her so he could look her in the eye. "Oliver saved my life in so many ways last year. He's taken me in and trained me, helped me learn to control the Mirakuru. He's like family to me now. I can't just stand by when there is something that I can do to help him, to save him. I  _have_ to do this Thea."

Thea just nodded her head in agreement, understanding where he was coming from. She realized that he really did  _have_  to do this, to help her brother. "Be safe!"

"We'll be back soon Thea." Roy said as he quickly kissed her before turning to leave with Diggle.

"I'm assuming you're coming too?" Diggle asked as he turned to Nyssa, already knowing the answer.

"Yes." Nyssa replied simply.

"I'm coming too." Lance said as he holstered one of Diggle's guns.

"No! Dad you're hurt." Laurel cried as she stood and walked to her Dad, trying to convince him to stay.

"Laurel." Lance said as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "I have to do anything I can to help! After everything Sara and Oliver have done to help me, this city. I can't just sit by and watch."

"Are you sure Detective?" Diggle asked, knowing that the man still had to be in some pain from the beatings.

"Yes!" Lance replied, determined to do this.

"Then let's go." Diggle said as he turned to the stairs. "Let's bring our Team home."

With that Diggle, Roy, Lance and Nyssa left the lair. They were armed to the teeth and ready for battle. _ **  
**_

* * *

Felicity had found a way to send a message, and their location, to the lair and hoped that the Team was there and had seen it. Once she had finished that she stood and finally looked around the room. There were several syringes, filled with two different liquids. They were labelled as Tibetan Pit viper Venom and the cure. She grabbed two of the cure, and a handful of the venom before turning to the door.

As Felicity stepped up to the door she could hear several men on the other side, beating on the door to the holding room across the hall. She was terrified, she didn't know how she was going to get back to them. "Okay guys, now would be the perfect time for backup." She said to herself as she stood with her back to the wall next to the door, trying to figure out what to do now.

Meanwhile, across the hall, Sara had managed to get the key to turn in one of her shackles which then allowed her to easily reach, and unlock, the other shackle. Once she was free she turned to go release Oliver, however, she had only taken two steps before there was a loud bang on the door before it creaked and fell slowly to the floor with a crash. Slade then stood, with a grin on his face, in the doorway with about twenty men.

"Well, well, well... what do we have here?" Slade said as he took a step through the door. However, he stopped and turned suddenly, as they heard a loud commotion down the hall. He turned to his men and said, "You all go take care of that... I'll handle these two."

Sara and Slade turned to face each other while Felicity stood in the lab across the hall and just down the way the Team had arrived and presented a united front to Slade's men. A battle was about to commence.


	32. Showdown

The Team was on edge the entire five minutes it took to get to where they suspected Oliver, Sara, and Felicity were being held. It was only two blocks from the Foundry,  _two blocks_! They should have been able to find them a long time ago, especially with them being so close. Diggle was beating himself up over the fact that they had been that close and he had not found them before now.  _I_ _could have prevented a lot of this from happening, if I had just had the intel._   _ **  
**_

"It's not your fault Mr. Diggle." Lance said from the seat beside him in the car. "They were too good at covering their tracks. Not even Felicity could find them."

"I could have stopped this sooner, helped them, rescued them." Diggle said heatedly. "Instead we sat on our hands in the Lair and just  _watched_  as Slade tortured our Team."

"True, but there really was nothing more we could have done." Roy agreed with both men over the comms from his bike. "Even if we had gone out and searched every building I bet we wouldn't have found anything if Slade had not wanted us to."

"We have arrived." Nyssa said over her comms as she dismounted her bike in front of a large warehouse. She and Roy had grabbed two of the extra bikes that the Team had, knowing that car space would be limited once they rescued the rest of the Team. Before any of them had a chance to do much more than grab their gear and take a step the front door to the warehouse opened and three men came out.

"I guess we've lost the element of surprise." Lance said as he drew his gun.

"Everyone stay alert." Diggle ordered. "We don't know what we are walking in to."

"At least we know we have the right place." Roy stated, knowing that an empty warehouse wouldn't be guarded by men this big. He smiled as he nocked an arrow. "I recognize Dummy on the right. He's one of the ones that tried to kidnap me before Slade stepped in. He's mine!" He said with a growl as he loosed the arrow, hitting the man in the thigh and causing him to scream.

Immediately the two groups advanced towards each other. There was the sound of a battle, however brief, as the Team quickly defeated the men that had come out to meet them.

* * *

"Trying to escape are we?" Slade asked with a smirk as he stared at Sara who was standing in the middle of the room. He saw Oliver behind her and almost laughed at the look of fury on the kid's face, knowing that there was nothing Oliver could do right now. He knew that even  _if_  Oliver had been freed already there was no way he could do anything as he was obviously too weak to even hold himself upright right now, the chains were doing that for him. It took only a second more for him to realize that Felicity was still not in the room. "Where is your precious Felicity?" Slade growled at Oliver, ignoring the Assassin in front of him for the moment.

Oliver chose to ignore the question from Slade. It was obvious that Felicity was not in the room and he was not going to waste precious energy telling the man something he already knew. He noticed Sara take half a step towards Slade and hoped that she knew what she was doing - that she wouldn't get hurt too badly.

Sara knew that Slade was simply asking rhetorical questions, probably trying to kill time and distract them until he attacked. She hoped that Felicity had been successful in getting the cure and would be brave enough to bring it back to them. She took half a step towards Slade, trying to make sure he didn't get any closer to Oliver as she knew he would probably hurt him again.

* * *

Felicity listened to the commotion down the hall carefully. She had hoped that her message had gotten through and was now relieved as it seemed that it had. She thought she could hear Roy's voice carrying down the hall and she hoped they would be able to make their way to them, and fast. She looked down at the syringes in her hands and took a deep breath, knowing what it was that she had to do. She stood there for a few more moments, gathering her courage.

"We're moving inside." Roy said into his comms so that Thea and Laurel would know what kind of progress they were making. "There were three men that met us outside, but we took care of them."

"Please be careful!" Thea said to the Team. She was worried that someone was going to get hurt, again.

"Can you tell us how Oliver and Sara are doing? Has Felicity come back yet?" Diggle asked, needing to know how the prisoners were doing so that he knew what to expect once they found them.

"Um..." Thea said as she turned back to the monitor with the video feed. "Sara is free, somehow. Oliver is still in there, he's still chained up. It looks like Slade busted down the door and is facing off with Sara."

"Where is Felicity?" Diggle asked again.

"She's still not in there." Thea responded quietly.

"Okay. Thank you Thea." Diggle said, the gratitude evident in his voice. He knew this had to be hard on her and wanted her to know that she was a valuable part of this mission. "Keep us updated."

"Will do." Thea responded as she continued to watch the monitor.

The Team quickly cleared the main room just inside the door with practiced ease. Each finding, and dealing with, the men that were there. As soon as that was accomplished they slowly started to make their way down the hall, carefully checking and clearing each room as they went.

* * *

Slade started to walk farther into the room, getting closer to Sara as he did. She looked like she was ready to murder him. He couldn't hold back the small smile at the hilarity of the thought.

Suddenly the two collided with a roar. Sara doing everything that she could to keep him away from Oliver while trying not to get killed. Slade working to fight his way past her to the kid. They kicked, punched, moved, and yelled as they fought. After what seemed like forever, but was really only a few moments, Slade grabbed Sara by the throat and held her off the ground, her feet dangling below her as she fought to breathe. Slade didn't even bother with words as he threw her against the wall, hearing the crack as her head hit the wall and she slumped to the ground unconscious.

Oliver almost held his breath as Sara and Slade began to fight. He could see each time Sara landed a punch or kick. He knew each time Slade slammed a fist into her, or a kick hit its mark. He couldn't help but hold his breath as Slade grabbed her by her throat and lifted her off the floor, and the dread that he felt increased a hundred times. Oliver stifled a flinch when Sara hit the wall as he heard the distinct crack when her head made contact with the concrete. He knew that she would be out for a while and have at a concussion at the very least. He watched as Slade then turned to him, not even breathing hard. He worked to control his own breathing and heart rate as he watched Slade slowly unsheathe one of the swords on his back. Slade was glaring at him so he knew that Sara would be safe, for now.  _Please let the Team get Felicity and her_ _out safely._  He thought as he felt the white hot pain in his chest as Slade slowly slid his sword between his ribs. This time he was unable to hold in the scream of pain.

* * *

Felicity listened as the sound of fighting made its way across the hall and she knew that Sara had to be free. Her suspicions were confirmed when she eased open the door a crack to look out and see if it was clear. She heard the familiar sounds of Sara engaged in a fight, but was shocked when she suddenly saw Slade grab the other blonde and throw her against a wall with a crack. Felicity flinched, knowing that Sara would be unconscious and hoping that her teammate was going to be okay.

She started to ease out of the room, as she didn't want Slade to turn suddenly and find her, Felicity could hear the unmistakable sounds of Team Arrow coming down the winding hallway. She recognized the voices of Digg and Roy.  _Is that Lance too? What is he doing here? And who is that other woman? Is that Nyssa?_  Felicity thought to herself, relieved at the fact that her message had gotten through. She was brought out of her thoughts though as she heard Oliver scream. She quickly brought her attention back to the task at hand. She knew that if he was screaming like that, after everything that he had endured silently, then he had to be in a massive amount of pain.  _Either that or he simply has no strength left._ _ **  
**_

* * *

The Team was making fast progress as they moved down the hallway. It was a winding hallway, unfortunately, so they were unable to see how much farther they had to go. Roy had just cleared another room and walked out with a smile on his face. He had found Sara's bo staff and all of Oliver's gear. Once they found the rest of the Team they could make a quick exit back to the lair.

"Guys!" Thea called quickly through the comms, worry evident in her voice.

"What is is Thea?" Roy asked quickly, needing to know what had caused the pain in her voice.

"Slade just threw Sara against a wall. She's not moving." Thea quickly responded.

"She's probably just unconscious." Nyssa said quickly. "We should keep moving though."

Before anyone had a chance to say or do anything else they heard a blood curdling scream from down the hall that stopped everyone in their tracks.

"Oliver!" Diggle said tensely. He knew that in order for Oliver to allow a scream to escape his partner had to be in an extreme amount of pain. He also suspected that the continued torture that Oliver had endured had zapped all of the younger man's strength, making it even harder to maintain control. "Let's move." Diggle ordered the group as he started to move even faster down the hallway.

* * *

Slade slowly pulled out the sword from where it had been inserted between two of Oliver's ribs, satisfied at the scream that it had caused.

"How many times have I told you that people in this world are only out for themselves?" Slade asked as he slid the sword back into Oliver's torso, eliciting another scream from the kid. "The first man to betray me on the Island was Billy Wintergreen. Do you remember him?" Slade asked as he slowly withdrew the sword again. "I believe he was the first person to give you these scars." He said as he continued to recreate the wounds that his old partner had inflicted on Oliver. He slowly drew his sword across yet another scar on Oliver's chest as he continued. "Your team has turned their backs on you. They have given up on you. Why would they come to rescue a man as broken and damaged as you?" He continued, smiling as Oliver continued to scream at each touch of the sword to his skin.

"Maybe you should turn  _your_  back once in a while." Slade heard a small voice behind him say as he felt something press into his neck. It felt like he had been stabbed with a handful of needles. He turned quickly to see Felicity backing away from him, she was trying to hide the look of terror on her face but he could see it anyway. He took a step towards her but was brought to his knees as his body gave out on him.

"What have you done?" Slade growled as he felt the strength draining from his body and fire coursing through his veins. He looked up to the blonde, trying to figure out how she had snuck up on him.

"You were so focused on torturing Oliver that you failed to recognize your biggest threat." Sara said quietly from the floor, having just regained consciousness. She slowly stood to her feet, smiling. "You failed to see that we have a secret weapon, and she just beat you." She said as she moved over to stand next to Felicity.

Suddenly Roy, Diggle, Lance, and Nyssa came up to the now open doorway. The group stopped suddenly as they took in the sight in front of them. Sara and Felicity were standing with their backs to the door, watching Slade who was falling slowly to the ground between them and Oliver. Oliver was still hanging in the room, blood dripping down his chest from the recent wounds.

"What happened?" Roy asked, clearly in awe of the fact that Slade had been brought down already. He almost laughed as Felicity whirled around in surprise.

"Roy! John! You found us!" Felicity cried as she launched herself at the men.

"All because of you Felicity." Diggle replied as he quickly returned the hug. "That message was genius."

"Sara." Nyssa said quietly as she walked up to the young woman. She gently reached up to touch the back of her head, making sure that the injury wasn't too serious.

"Nyssa." Sara sighed, relieved that they were finally rescued. She looked up as suddenly Felicity turned and went back to where Oliver was.  _ **  
**_

"Oliver." Felicity spoke quietly as everyone looked on, taking in the sight before them.

"I'm fine Felicity." Oliver replied tiredly. He was more relieved than he could say that the Team had found them. He didn't know how much longer he could hold on.

"Yeah, sure." Felicity said as she rolled her eyes. She reached up to hold Oliver's head in her hands. "I know you're in pain. You don't have to hide it anymore." She said quietly as she looked into the tired, pain filled eyes of the man that she loved. She almost jumped when she felt a hand touch her shoulder.

"Let's get him down from there." Diggle said quietly to her, letting her know that she would have to step back in order for them to do so.

Felicity reluctantly stepped away as Diggle, Roy, Sara, and Lance all stepped up to help Oliver out of his chains. She was surprised when Nyssa offered her jacket to her. She suddenly remembered that she wasn't wearing a shirt and quickly put it on.

"I have the key." Sara told the men as Diggle reached to check Oliver's vital signs. He was definitely  _not_  happy with how weak the man's pulse was.

"Oliver?" Diggle asked his partner, knowing that Oliver would know what he was asking.

"I'll be fine Digg." Oliver said weakly, the blood loss and pain finally starting to get to him. He looked his partner in the eyes and knew that Diggle had heard everything that he hadn't said.

"We can't just unlock the shackles." Sara said, knowing that if they simply did that it would potentially hurt Oliver more and make it more difficult for them to get him free.

"We have to lower the chains." Diggle said, agreeing with Sara. He looked around to see how the chains were raised and lowered, noting that Roy was already doing the same thing.

"Here!" Roy said. He had followed the chains to hooks, one on each side of the wall. "We need two people to lower them though." He said, looking to Diggle for direction.

"Okay." Diggle said as he assessed the situation. "Lance, you and I are each going to take a chain and gently lower Oliver down. Roy and Sara, you get ready to help steady him." The Team all nodded in agreement as they moved to their respective jobs.

"Ready when you are John." Sara said as she and Roy stood on each side of Oliver, ready to help lower him to the ground as the chains gained slack. She knew that Oliver didn't have any strength to hold himself up once the chains started to lower. "Be careful of his injuries Roy." Sara said quietly to the young man, knowing he wouldn't intentionally hurt Oliver, but wanting to make sure he was paying attention.

Oliver looked for Felicity. She had moved back when the guys moved forward to release him but he needed to see her, to distract himself from the pain coursing through his body. He couldn't wait to be free so that he could hold her again. Especially as he now knew that she returned his feelings.

"Ready Detective?" Diggle asked Lance as they each prepared to slowly lower Oliver.

"Yep." Lance stated, ready to concentrate on slowly lowering Oliver without dropping him painfully to the ground.

"Lower it nice and slow. On the count of three." Diggle said as he made sure he had a good hold on the chain. "One, two... three."

Lance and Diggle slowly started to lower Oliver. Sara and Roy were there, ready to help him as soon as there was slack in the chains. After a moment they had lowered him enough that they could reach the shackles on his wrists. Nyssa stepped forward to unlock them before Roy and Sara gently laid Oliver on the floor on his side so as not to put any unnecessary pressure on any of his wounds.

Diggle quickly came over after securing the chains again and knelt beside Oliver to check his vital signs more thoroughly. He knew his partner had to be in an extreme amount of pain and wanted to get him back to the lair as soon as possible.

"Roy, you help me get Oliver to the SUV." Diggle said after his quick assessment of Oliver. "Sara, you and Nyssa make sure we didn't leave anyone behind that could follow us. You guys can meet us back at Verdant, take the bikes." Diggle then turned to Roy. "Let's get him out of here."  _ **  
**_

Roy and Diggle carefully lifted Oliver from the floor, each man taking a position under each of his arms and carefully placing their hands on Oliver's lower back, making sure to stay as clear of his injuries as possible. They quickly took him to the car where they laid him carefully on his side in the back. Felicity quickly climbed in beside him and placed his head on her lap. She gently ran her fingers through his hair to try and comfort him as Diggle turned the car towards Verdant. She was not surprised when just moments later Oliver passed out, relieved that he would be free of pain, if only for a few minutes until they got back to the lair.


	33. Hard to Kill

Diggle drove as quickly as he could back to Verdant. It was slower going than their trip out as he was trying not to jostle Oliver in the back any more than necessary since he knew his partner was already in a massive amount of pain. He focused on getting them back as quickly as possible, however, he didn't miss the quick conversation that Roy had with Thea over the comms.

"Thea, we're headed back." Roy said quietly into his comms.

"Are you okay?" Thea asked, relief evident in her voice. "How is Oliver?"

"The Team's good." Roy responded, being careful of how he relayed the information. He didn't want to scare her with unnecessary details. "Nothing but a couple new bruises. Oliver's going to need some medical attention though. Can you and Laurel get the medical bay ready?"

"Sure, what will you need?" Thea asked. However, Roy didn't miss the concern in her voice.

"We are going to need a lot of bandages, the suture kits, warm water..." Roy said as he tried to think of what all would be needed. He looked to Diggle for more instructions.

"We will also need the antiseptic and some ice for some bruises." Diggle continued as he continued to carefully maneuver the car through the streets to the lair. "We'll be there in two minutes." He updated them as he could hear the women getting things ready through Thea's comms. He glanced into the rear view mirror to see how his teammates were doing. He saw Felicity, still running her hands through Oliver's hair, with tears in her eyes and murmuring softly to him. He couldn't hear what she was saying and didn't bother to try and listen in either as he was sure it was not meant for anyone but Oliver.  _I just hope we got to him in time_. He thought, knowing how bad it would be for everyone, especially Felicity, if Oliver didn't make it.

* * *

Felicity sat in the back of the car with Oliver's head in her lap. They were headed back to the lair, slower than she would have liked but she knew that Diggle was being careful not to jar Oliver any more than necessary. As she continued to run her hands through his hair she felt a huge mix of emotions. She was happy that they were now free and that Oliver would soon get the needed medical attention. She was scared that they hadn't gotten him out in time and that he wouldn't make it after having lost so much blood. She was relieved that he finally knew how she felt about him, but was also worried that they wouldn't be able to do anything about it now that they both knew how they felt about each other. She had never experienced so many emotions at the same time and it was overwhelming. As she looked down at the man that she loved she couldn't stop the tears from welling up in her eyes as she saw the multitude of wounds on his body, knowing that he would now have a whole new set of scars.

"You're going to be okay Oliver." Felicity whispered to him quietly. She didn't care that he was out cold and probably wouldn't hear what she was saying. She wanted to make sure that he knew she still loved him and would do anything that she could to help him get better. "Diggle and Sara are going to take good care of you. They are going to patch you up all over again and then, in a couple of weeks, you'll be good as new. Oh Oliver, please hang on. Don't give up on me yet, okay! I need you! You hear me! Don't you dare leave me now, especially as you know how I feel. Come on Oliver, fight. Fight to come back to me. I love you so much and I can't lose you, not now!"

"Felicity." Diggle said quietly from the front seat, breaking her out of her thoughts. Felicity looked up and met his eyes in the mirror. "We will be at Verdant in 60 seconds." He updated her. She nodded her head before looking back down at the man that she loved, unable to tear her eyes away from his unconscious form for more than a second until she felt the car come to a stop.

* * *

Sara and Nyssa made quick work of going back through the warehouse. They zip cuffed and moved all of Slade's goons to the front room for SCPD to pick up and take to Iron Heights Prison. There were about twenty in all and as all were still unconscious it was easy to move them. Once they were done with all of Slade's men they moved back to the room where Oliver had been kept and Slade was still out cold on the floor.

"How did Felicity do it?" Nyssa asked Sara as they knelt down to check on Slade, making sure he really was still out.

"Slade had a cure for the Mirakuru." Sara said as she set to work tying Slade up with a heavy rope that they had found in one of the rooms. "Felicity got out to the lab across the hall and found a couple of syringes with it. Apparently she also found some of the Tibetan Pit Viper Venom that he had used to sedate Roy. The mix of the two knocked him out, and cured him at the same time."

"Very clever." Nysa said as she counted the number of syringes that had been jabbed into Slade's neck.

"Yeah." Sara said with a smile, the pride evident in her voice. "She's our secret weapon that no one counts on."

Once Slade was secured Nyssa stood and looked around the room, noticing the large amount of blood that was splattered on the wall and pooled under where Oliver had been suspended from the chains.

"He took a brutal beating." Nyssa said as she looked around.

"Yeah." Sara said as she looked around as well, really looking at the state of the room now that she didn't have to worry about protecting anyone. The sight was heartbreaking, even for her, as she clearly saw the evidence of what Slade had done in the blood splatter on the wall and the pools on the floor. It was obvious that Oliver had lost an awful lot of blood and she hoped that Roy and Diggle had gotten him back to the lair in time. "Slade has been plagued by what happened to Shado for a very long time. He just finally got a chance for revenge and dished it out like nothing I've ever seen."

"It's a wonder Oliver is still alive." Nyssa exclaimed. She had seen this kind of torture before, however the subject had never survived. "Slade clearly planned on killing him.

Sara shook her head in agreement. "Oliver's not that easy to kill." She said quietly as she turned to leave the room, Nyssa following close behind. They both knew that it would only be a couple more minutes before ARGUS came in to take Slade into custody. Diggle had called Amanda Waller once they knew that Slade was knocked out and she had sent a team over to retrieve him. Sara did  _not_  want to be here when they showed up.

Sara and Nyssa quickly left the warehouse and mounted the bikes. Moving to a corner of the lot where they would not be seen but still had a vantage point to the front of the building. They watched in silence as ARGUS came in and loaded Slade, who was still out, into a large, armored van before quickly leaving. Once they had left Sara pulled out her phone and called her Dad, telling him that SCPD could now come and clean up the scum that was left. Once she hung up they turned their bikes toward the lair.

* * *

Thea and Laurel had listened as the guys and Nyssa cleared the building, taking out Slade's men. They had watched as Sara fought Slade and then Felicity injected him with something, knocking him out. Then both women had breathed a sigh of relief as the Team released Oliver and took him out to the car. This was finally over.  _Well, almost. They still have to take care of Oliver_. Laurel thought. She came back to reality when she heard Thea talking to the guys over the comms. It seemed that they had work to do while the Team was on the way back.

Thea turned to Laurel as she finished talking with Roy. "Let's get the medical stuff out."

"What do they need?" Laurel asked, not sure what to grab.

"Pretty much everything." Thea said as she started to look in the cabinets, noting that Roy and Diggle had asked for just about all of it. "Can you go get a big bowl of warm water?" She asked the older woman. Laurel nodded before turning to find something to put it in and fill it in the bathroom.

It was just moments later when the door at the top of the stairs opened and Thea saw Felicity running down the stairs. She was followed closely by Roy and Diggle who had an unconscious Oliver between them and Lance came in behind them, being sure the door closed behind the group.

"How we going to do this Digg?" Roy asked as they maneuvered Oliver over towards the medical table. "He's got cuts on both sides."

Diggle thought quickly as they made their way across the lair to the medical table. He knew that there was no way they could lay Oliver down on his back, or front, as the wounds were too bad to do that this time.

"We'll have to lay him on his side." Diggle determined as they carefully sat Oliver down on the table.

"Which side?" Roy asked, not wanting to make the call himself and choose the wrong one.

"Lay him on his left side." Diggle answered after another quick look at Oliver's back. "It's the least injured." He murmured as they carefully laid Oliver down, hearing a small groan from the younger man even though he was still out.

"Okay." Roy said as he took a small step back. "What's next?" He asked as he looked to Diggle, not knowing what to do now.

"Now we clean him up, and patch him up." Diggle responded as he quickly disinfected his hands. "Just like we always do."


	34. Treatment

When Sara and Nyssa came back to the lair they found Thea, Sara's Dad, and Laurel sitting quietly over by Felicity's computers. The girls had obviously been crying and Sara wasn't surprised as she knew what kind of shape Oliver was in when they finally got him out. Felicity was sitting in her chair by the medical table. She was sitting up by Oliver's head, clearly trying to stay out of the way and yet still be as close to him as she could be. Roy and Diggle were carefully cleaning Oliver's wounds so that they could stitch him back up. She noticed that they had already started an IV for a blood transfusion and was glad that they were finally getting him some needed blood.

Lance noticed her first and simply gave her a questioning look. Sara gave him a slight nod to let him know that yes, everything had been taken care of. He gave a small smile in return before turning back to watch the guys patch up Oliver. The next person to notice them was Laurel. As soon as she saw her sister she stood and ran over to her, wrapping her in a tight hug. Sara resisted the urge to wince as Laurel hugged her tight, putting pressure on her bruises. She knew that her sister simply needed reassurance that she was indeed okay. Finally they pulled apart and Laurel returned to her seat. Thea never even looked away from Oliver and Sara didn't blame her. Seeing Oliver like this had to be a major shock for the young woman.

Felicity had heard Sara and Nyssa return to the lair and glanced up briefly when Laurel went to hug her sister, however, her attention was quickly brought back to the man in front of her. She was so intent on Oliver that she failed to notice, yet again, that someone was next to her until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Felicity." Sara said quietly, trying not to startle the other blonde too much after she had jumped at her hand on her shoulder. "Let me look at your shoulder." She said quietly.

"Why?" Felicity asked, confused as to what her shoulder had to do with anything. It wasn't like she was hurt or anything.

"Your tattoo." Sara stated simply. The look on Felicity's face would have caused her to laugh if the situation was different. The other woman's expression was comical as she finally remembered that she was now sporting a tattoo.

"What is it?" Felicity asked, suddenly curious as to what Slade had decided to give her.

Instead of answering Felicity Sara instead went and brought a mirror over so that Felicity could see for herself. She helped the other woman carefully remove Nyssa's jacket and then held the mirror so that Felicity could see. As soon as the other woman saw the tattoo in the mirror her mouth formed an 'O' and her eyes grew wide as she recognized it.

"Oliver's dragon." Felicity whispered quietly to no one in particular. She had always liked that particular tattoo. She viewed dragons as beautiful yet deadly creatures when provoked, much like Oliver. "It's...amazing." She reached over her shoulder to touch it and winced slightly, it still stung a bit.

"You need to let me disinfect it for you." Sara said as she set down the mirror.

"Oh, okay." Felicity said, thankful that Sara knew what to do since she didn't. She had never had a tattoo before. She turned back to Oliver and watched as Roy and Diggle were carefully putting stitches into Oliver's back, again. It was only a couple of minutes later when Sara told her that she was done.

"I cleaned it and put some Vaseline on it." Sara said as she put her supplies away. "Keep applying Vaseline to it periodically. It will help the skin to heal properly."

"Thank you." Felicity replied quietly, completely focused on Oliver again, tuning out everything and everyone else in the lair. It would be another couple of hours before she stopped to truly think about her new tattoo and what Oliver's reaction would be to it.

Diggle and Roy were still working quickly to patch Oliver back up again. They all had thought that his back had been bad after Malcolm had finished with it, however that was nothing compared to this. Oliver would have a whole new set of scars on his back that would forever remind him of what Slade had done _ **.**_

 _I just hope he doesn't let this eat him up inside too._  He thought as he continued to clean and stitch the younger man's back. He and Roy had had to clean the wounds out quite a bit as Oliver had still had a few stitches in when Slade whipped him. Not to mention the dirt and debris from the warehouse that had embedded itself in the gashes on his back. He was thankful when Sara stepped up and helped by tending to the wounds on Oliver's chest and torso.

"Internal damage?" Diggle asked Sara, concerned about the stab wounds to Oliver's chest.

"I don't think so." Sara said as she examined the wounds. "Slade was too intent on torturing Oliver, I don't think he would have done anything that would have killed him. Besides, it sounds like these are the same wounds he got on Lian Yu and he survived those."

At those words from his daughter Lance looked closer at the wounds on Oliver's chest. He remembered the younger man telling him that he had been tortured, he had known that it was true due to the scars the kid had as well as other things that had been said. However, seeing those wounds again on Oliver's chest, fresh and still bleeding, was a huge wake up call. He suddenly felt incredibly horrible for every bad thing that he had said and thought about Oliver. While he had been cursing the kid for taking his baby girl on that stupid yacht, wishing he had died instead, Oliver had endured being tortured on that hellish island. Lance's respect for Oliver grew yet again as he came to realize just what Oliver had suffered during his time away.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Diggle, Roy, and Sara were finished tending to Oliver's wounds. As Diggle and Sara went to wash their hands Roy cleaned up the medical area for them. When they returned to the center of the lair Sara remembered the water that Oliver had been forced to ingest and the coughing and vomiting that had ensued.

"What about his lungs John?" Sara asked, worried about the fluid in them.

"There's nothing we can do there except keep an eye on him." Diggle stated quietly. He knew that there was a chance that Oliver would develop pneumonia from it and he simply hoped that that would  _not_  happen.  _That's the last thing he needs._  He thought to himself.

Everyone sat or stood quietly in the lair, each lost in their own thoughts. Nyssa was leaning up against a support beam over by the stairs, quietly watching the group in the lair. Thea sat in a chair by the computers next to Laurel and both were trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. Detective Lance was standing behind his daughter with a comforting hand on her shoulder, knowing that this was affecting her more than she let on. Sara, Diggle and Roy were standing around Oliver, keeping a close eye on him to make sure he stayed stable. Felicity simply sat in her chair next to Oliver and held his hand in hers.

Now that the mission was over the adrenaline was wearing off and exhaustion was setting in. It was a few minutes after they finished patching up Oliver that Nyssa quietly came to stand next to Sara, offering her a bag of ice. "For the bruising on your neck." The assassin said quietly. "You also need to let me look at the back of your head."  _ **  
**_

"I can do that." Diggle stated, suddenly feeling bad that he had not remembered that Sara had gotten a pretty bad hit to the head when Slade threw her.

"Not to worry Mr. Diggle." Nyssa stated with a small smile. "I can handle it." She said as she made Sara sit down so that she could get a good look at the bump on Sara's head.

"John." Sara said quietly, noticing that her teammate was upset. "Don't worry about it. Oliver was first priority. I had even forgotten about it until she said something."

"I should have thought about it." Diggle said, still beating himself up over forgetting about her injury.

"Don't!" Sara said forcefully. "Don't you dare beat yourself up over this tiny little bump okay! You attention was needed elsewhere. If it had been major  _then_  I would have said something, but it's not. So don't get upset over it okay!"

Diggle just nodded his head. She was right, again. He was to the point now where he was exhausted and simply wanted to get some rest. However his thoughts were interrupted by the shrill ringing of a phone. He looked up to see Thea answering the phone.

"Hey Mom." Thea said, the tiredness evident in her voice. "No...Mom! Everyone's fine. We are all safe now... Yes, Oliver's safe... Yes, I'll talk to Mr. Diggle and see what we can do... Yes Mom... Okay! I'll talk to you soon! Bye Mom."

"Everything okay?" Roy asked as he walked over to his girlfriend and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah." Thea said as she laid her head on Roy's hand on her shoulder. "We've been keeping her kind of updated and she wanted to know if everyone was okay and safe. She's been worried and wants us all to come back to the mansion." She finished explaining as she looked up to Diggle, clearly asking if it was possible.

"I'm actually going to head home." Laurel said as she stood. "I'm beat and there's nothing I can do here right now. I'm going to go try and get some sleep." She said, recognizing that now it was simply a waiting game to see how Oliver felt when he woke up.

"I'll go with you sweetheart." Lance commented as he stood as well. "You guys call if anything changes or if you need anything." He said as he looked to Diggle and Felicity.

"Will do." Diggle replied as he walked over and shook the Detective's hand. "Thank you for your help tonight!" He said sincerely.

"Anytime!" Lance said as he returned the handshake. "Let's go." He said as he turned to his daughter.

"I'll come home in a bit." Sara told her family. "I want to make sure Oliver's going to be okay." Her Dad nodded his head in acknowledgement before he and Laurel headed up the stairs to go home.

"Why don't you and Roy head over to the mansion and get some rest?" Diggle suggested to Thea. He knew she had to be exhausted and as Lance had said, there was nothing anyone could do here for quite a while.

"What about Ollie?" Thea asked as she looked to her brother who was still out on the table.

"We'll keep an eye on him." Diggle reassured her. "Once we've gotten enough blood back into him and it's safe we can move him to the mansion. Tell your Mother that we will bring him home as soon as we can."

"Okay." Thea replied quietly. She didn't want to leave her brother, but knew that there was nothing that she could do here anyway. She stood and waked over to place a small kiss on the top of Oliver's head. "Seen you soon big brother." She said with tears in her eyes again. She turned toward Roy and he pulled her into an embrace.

"Come on, let's get you home so you can rest." Roy told her as he led her to the exit. "We'll see you guys in a while." He said to the rest of the Team before he took Thea home.

Finally the lair was quiet again, the only sound being the beeping of the heart monitor.

"Once it's safe we can move him to the mansion." Diggle repeated what he had told Thea as he laid a comforting hand on Felicity's shoulder. "He's going to be okay."

"I know." Felicity said quietly, meeting Diggle's eyes. "I just wish he hadn't had to go through this."

"All of us wish that." Sara said quietly. "But it's over now. Slade can't hurt him anymore."

Felicity nodded her head as she turned once more to look at Oliver, the man who held her heart. She gently held his hand in hers and settled in to wait for him to wake up.  _I hope it's soon._  She thought, as she didn't know how long she would be able to wait.

Felicity never was a patient person.


	35. Waiting

Beep... Beep... Beep...

Felicity was going crazy. It was way too quiet in the lair as the only sound was the ticking of the clock and the beeping of the heart monitor. Not that she minded the heart monitor's beeping, it let her know that Oliver was still alive. But it was way too quiet and it was starting to drive her crazy _ **.**_  It felt like it had been several hours since everyone had left the lair and nothing had changed. She, Sara, and Diggle were still sitting around Oliver just waiting for him to wake up and it hadn't happened yet. She looked up as Diggle stood to stretch.

"Hey, why don't we go upstairs for a drink?" Sara asked her teammates, tired of the too quiet lair and ready for something to do.

"I don't want to leave Oliver." Felicity answered. "Just in case he wakes up, or something happens."

"John?" Sara turned to Diggle who was walking around.

"Sure." Diggle gave in. He knew that unless something changed they would still be waiting for hours. Getting to do  _anything_  was better than sitting around waiting. "Felicity, let us know if anything changes. We'll just be upstairs if you need us." He told the blonde. He knew she would be okay, as long as she didn't go crazy down here waiting. Yet, it hadn't surprised him that she didn't want to leave Oliver.

"I'll be fine guys." Felicity stated, giving them a small smile. "I'll let you know if I need you. You guys go chill for a bit and relax." She turned back to Oliver, who hadn't moved at all yet, as the rest of the Team made their way up to the club above.

* * *

"Do you think she's really going to be okay?" Sara asked as she moved behind the bar to pour herselfand Diggle a drink.

"I think it will take time." Diggle answered as he sat on one of the bar stools across from her. "I think once she processes what happened, and probably cries for a while, she will be fine." He took the offered shot of whiskey and downed it before he continued. "Oliver on the other hand..." He shook his head slowly as he again remembered just how beaten the younger man's body was. "That will take more time."

"He's been through stuff like this before." Sara said quietly as she refilled their shot glasses.

"Yeah, and look what that did to him." Diggle quietly answered as he stared at the liquid in his glass. "He had so much anger inside of him from it all. I'm afraid that it's going to happen again." He was scared for his friend. He knew that if they didn't do things right Oliver would shut them all out again, maybe even run off to Lian Yu. If he did that Diggle didn't know if they would be able to bring him back again.

"You're forgetting something John." Sara said with a sad smile on her face. She knew what he was thinking, remembered what Oliver had been like after all that had happened on the Island. But, she also knew that Diggle was forgetting something important.

"What's that?" Diggle asked as he looked up at her, noticing the huge smile on her face, curious to see what she was thinking.

"This time we have a Secret Weapon to use against him!"

* * *

Felicity was going stir crazy as she waited for Oliver to wake up. Once Diggle and Sara went upstairs she organized the medical supplies and took inventory, noting that they needed to replace almost all their supplies after everything that had happened recently. She then went and looked through the news reports, making sure that the identity of the Arrow had not been compromised. There was surprisingly only a brief mention of the break-up of a gang. Nothing was said about what happened at the warehouse and Felicity had a feeling that they had Detective Lance to thank for that. All that only took up about thirty minutes of her time.  _Now what to do?_  She thought to herself as she glanced at the security feed from the club, noting that Diggle and Sara were still enjoying a drink and talking. She turned from her computer and started to walk around the room.

As Felicity slowly made her way around the lair she found herself touching everything. She started by running her hand across her computers as she walked around behind them towards the training mats. When she got to the Salmon Ladder she placed a hand on the side and looked up, smiling at the memory of Oliver making his way up the contraption without a shirt and covered in sweat. From there she walked across the mats, thinking of all the times that she watched the Team training, practicing their abilities in order to keep the city safe at night. Walking past the training dummies she remembered the many hours that Sara, or Diggle, or Roy, or even Oliver would spend releasing pent up anger at a mission gone wrong as they hit the dummy over and over again.

Next she found herself walking towards the armory section of the lair. Diggle's weapons were neatly arranged, always cleaned and ready to go for the next mission. She was thankful that Diggle was part of the Team. His knowledge of how war was came in very handy when it came to planning missions. He was also an expert marksman, which often came in handy as well. Not to mention that he was the Team medic. If it wasn't for Diggle then there would have been many times that Oliver wouldn't have made it home from a mission, or off the medical table. She had also found a friend, a brother, in Diggle and would forever be thankful for his place in her life.  _I'll have to make sure he doesn't blame himself for anything that happened._  She thought to herself, knowing it was a very good possibility.

She walked past Diggle's weapons and came up to Roy's stash of stuff. His trademark red hoodie, well, one of the many, was hanging on a hook on the wall with his mask hanging out of the front pocket. Next to that was his bow and quiver.  _At least the kid remembered to put his stuff up this time_. She thought with a smile, thinking of the many times he would leave his stuff laying around and she would have to remind him to put it away. Roy was like a little brother to her, always looking out for her. Sure, he had had his issues, but he had a good heart.

Moving on she came next to Sara's equipment. Although her case wasn't as elaborate as Oliver's, her leathers and bo staff were neatly stored in a glass case. She liked Sara, she really did. She hadn't been too sure when Sara had first joined them. The woman had been so full of anger and hate. Plus Sara and Oliver had gotten back together. She had never told anyone how much it had hurt to see the two dating. She had known then that she never really had a chance with Oliver, but that hadn't stopped it from hurting when she saw them together. Things had changed though. She and Sara had actually become friends.  _I still can't believe I took a bullet for her._ She thought as she remembered the night with Tockman. Things hadn't always been easy since Sara came around, but Felicity knew that she would not trade having her on the Team for anything in the world.

Felicity stepped away from Sara's things and came next to the case that housed Oliver's bow. She smiled to herself as she reached out and touched it gently, remembering the look on Oliver's face when he picked up the bow for the first time. She had ordered it specifically for him for when he came back from Lian Yu after the Undertaking. The look in his eyes had remained with her to this day. She would always be happy that she bought that for him.

As she stepped up to the next case Felicity couldn't help the tears that formed in her eyes. This was the case that housed Oliver's green leather. Someone had hung his stuff back up and it hung there ready for the next mission. She slowly reached out and placed her right hand on the jacket right where it would cover Oliver's heart, closing her eyes as she remembered the feel of Oliver's strong chest underneath of it. Before she realized what she was doing she found that she had lifted the jacket and hood off the dummy and held it in her hands. She slowly lifted the jacket to her face and found that it still smelled like Oliver. She blinked a few times before she wrapped the jacket around her, sliding her arms in and zipping it up. She wrapped her arms around her and imagined that it was Oliver's strong arms wrapping her in an embrace, holding her close as if he would never let her go. She stood there for a minute, breathing in his scent from the jacket as she cried, finally allowing all the pent up emotion from the last few days out.

It was a few moments later when Felicity finally stopped crying. She realized that she had needed to do it and was thankful that it had happened when no one was around. Well, okay, Oliver was there but he was still passed out so he didn't see it. She finally took in a deep, shaky breath and wiped her eyes. When she opened them again she was looking right at Oliver's bow, sitting beautifully in its glass case when suddenly an idea hit her. With a smile slowly growing on her face she reached out and picked up the bow, testing the weight in her hands. Turning around so she wouldn't hit the glass and scratch anything she slowly raised the bow and started to pull back on the string.  _ **  
**_

* * *

The first thing Oliver felt was pain, everywhere. His ribs, his back, his arms and wrists, his chest, pretty much the only thing that wasn't throbbing with pain was his legs, although they were sore. He pushed down the waves of pain and focused instead on his surroundings. He listened carefully to the noises around him and the first sound to reach his ears was the constant beeping by his head. _Must be the heart monitor_. He thought to himself as he remembered hearing that sound many times before. He listened again for more sounds, the next thing he heard being the familiar sound of Felicity's desk chair as she moved. Oliver slowly opened his eyes to find her and watched as she slowly moved around her computer. He remained quiet and still, not wanting her to know just yet that he was awake as he wanted to see how she was doing.

Oliver couldn't take his eyes off Felicity. She was so beautiful and she loved him! The thought almost overwhelmed him, until she reached the Salmon Ladder. Even though her back was turned to him he clearly imagine the small smile that would have played across her lips as she touched the it and looked up. He had missed that smile. As she turned to continue her walk around the lair Oliver caught sight of the Dragon tattoo on her shoulder around the straps of one of Sara's tank tops that she was now wearing. He couldn't help the sadness that came over him at the sight of it, however, he pushed that emotion down as she watched Felicity move on again. He continued to watched her, silently and unmoving, as she made her way around the room, stopping at the mats, the training dummies, Digg's weapons, Roy's gear, Sara's gear, and then his own.

He watched her as Felicity tentatively reached a hand out and touched his bow. Oliver almost smiled as he remembered the day that she gave that to him, the day that he chose to be  _something_ other than the killer that Tommy had died thinking that he was _,_ even if he hadn't realized it yet. The day that he became the Arrow. He was thankful every single day that Felicity and Diggle had brought him back from the Island.

It was only a moment later that Felicity moved on to the case that held his leathers. He watched as she reached out a shaky hand and put it on the left side of the front of his jacket and he could hear her sniffling, telling him that she was crying. He was surprised when she lifted his jacket out of the case and lifted it to her nose, smelling it, before putting it on and wrapping her arms around herself. As she stood there, crying, he almost sat up and went to her, but at the thought of moving another wave of pain coursed through him and instead he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he rode it out. When he opened his eyes again he noticed that Felicity had moved slightly and was now holding his bow in her hands. She had raised it and pulled back the string. Oliver noticed that although she had enough strength to draw it, she was not quite able to draw it back fully to its anchorpoint.

"You have failed this city!" Felicity growled as she drew the string on the bow back a bit. Oliver had to stifle his laughter. She was apparently trying to imitate his Arrow growl and the end result was so cute that he could no longer hold back his comments.

"Felicity?" Oliver asked with a bit of a chuckle. "What are you doing?"

Felicity jumped and screamed when she heard the voice in the lair. She looked around quickly, still holding Oliver's bow in her hand, looking for the threat. It took her a moment to realize that it was Oliver who had spoken and suddenly she felt extremely embarrassed at being found holding his bow and wearing his leather jacket and hood.

"I, um..." Felicity started to explain but was interrupted by the sound of the door at the top of the stairs slamming open and footsteps rushing down. Half a second later she saw Diggle, gun drawn, quickly reaching the bottom of the stairs, looking for whatever had caused Felicity to scream. Sara was right behind him, the look on her face showing that she was clearly ready to take down any intruder. What they found instead was Felicity, in Oliver's jacket and hood, holding his bow, clearly shocked.

"Felicity?" Diggle asked as he rushed over to her, making sure she was okay. "Are you okay?"

All Felicity could do was nod her head to indicate that she was okay, she was still too embarrassed at having been caught.

"Then what's wrong?" Diggle asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to get her to actually talk to him.

"Nothing's wrong John." Sara responded from across the room.

"Then  _what_  happened?" Diggle questioned his teammate as he turned to face Sara.

"I scared her." Oliver answered with a smile from where he still lay on the medical table, startling Diggle.

"Um, guys..." Felicity said timidly, with a tiny, guilty smile. "Um... Oliver's awake."


	36. Honesty

Oliver couldn't help but be amused at the looks on his teammates' faces. Diggle's face showed first shock, then amusement, and then concern. Sara's face went from relief to entertained. Felicity's face however was the best as it went from embarrassed, to relieved, to embarrassed again, to finally a smile graced her lips and he saw his love for her mirrored in her eyes.  _ **  
**_

"Felicity." Oliver said just above a whisper. He slowly started to move into a sitting position, pushing down the pain that the movement caused.

Diggle and Sara stepped forward as one to help Oliver, knowing that the movement would be causing quite a bit more pain to add to what he was already experiencing. Once they had him in a sitting position, with only a couple of small grunts of pain from Oliver, they watched as their teammate reached a hand towards Felicity. The scene in front of them unfolded almost like a movie. The hero wakes up, sits up despite injuries, reaches for the damsel who walks willingly into his arms, and then they kiss. Yep, definitely like a movie and both Sara and Diggle rolled their eyes with huge smiles as Oliver gently took Felicity's face in his hands and placed a gentle kiss onto her lips.

"Come on guys." Sara said with mock irritation. "Can't you at least get a room? I mean really... Do you have to do that in front of us?"

Oliver slowly pulled back after planting a gentle kiss on Felicity's lips. He started to laugh at Sara's comments but it quickly turned into a fit of coughs, which in turn caused him to have to clamp down on the pain yet again. Sara quickly brought Oliver a bottle of water which he carefully took a sip of between coughs. Finally they eased and Oliver was able to breathe again.

"Are you okay?" Felicity asked, the worry clear in her voice and in the look on her face.

"It's just the fluid in my lungs. It will take care of itself in time." He said as he took her hand, trying to reassure her.

"How are you feeling man?" Diggle asked, noting the look of pain in Oliver's eyes as he did so.

"I'm..." Oliver started before being interrupted by Felicity.

"Oliver, I swear. If you say you're fine..." Felicity started to say before Oliver placed a finger on her lips, effectively ending her sentence.

"...in a lot of pain." Oliver continued, deciding to be completely honest with his Team. "But it's nothing that rest won't cure." He tried to give Felicity a reassuring smile and was rewarded with her squeezing his hand tighter.

"You need anything?" Diggle asked, wondering if Oliver would give in and actually take some pain medication.

"No." Oliver stated simply. He knew that Diggle was just trying to help ease his pain. "Where is everyone? Are they safe?" He asked as he looked around, surprised at how empty the lair was at the moment.

"Lance and Laurel went to her place and I sent Roy and Thea back to the mansion to update your mom and Walter." Diggle updated Oliver. "Everyone is safe. Don't worry."

"What about Nyssa?" Oliver asked as hewas pretty sure that he hadn't just imagined her presence.

"She had to leave again." Sara filled him in. "She only came back because she heard about Slade and wanted to make sure I was okay. Once we were rescued and she was reassured that I was fine she left."

"Next time you talk to her please tell her that I said thank you." Oliver said with complete sincerity. He may not have always gotten along with the Assassin, however he knew that she had helped in the rescue mission and he didn't want that to go unnoticed.

"I will." Sara said with a smile.

"So, what now?" Felicity asked from her place next to Oliver.

"Well, Mrs. Queen wanted everyone back to the mansion once you were able to move there." Diggle informed Oliver. "I told her that once we could we would head over."

Oliver nodded his head, agreeing with the plan. He knew that staying here would not be an option as everyone would want to get together at some point and that would cause the lair to get extremely crowded. If they were back at the mansion, then there would be room for everyone to gather without it being too crowded, and he could move to his room at any point if he became too exhausted.

"I'll start making phone calls to update everyone." Sara said as she pulled out her phone and stepped away.

"Let me check your bandages before we go so I can redress any that need it." Diggle said as he moved to the medical supplies. He began to redress Oliver's back as he tried to ignore the conversation between his two partners.

"Oliver..." Felicity started quietly, clearly struggling with what to say.

"What is it Felicity?" Oliver asked her, seeing the emotions warring withinher. "What's wrong?"

"He was going to kill you!" Felicity finally cried as she looked into Oliver's blue eyes. "He was going to torture you until you were almost dead and then he was going to kill you with one of your own arrows through one of your eyes!" She couldn't stop the tears that began to flow down her face.

"Hey." Oliver said as he reached for her hands, pulling her closer to him and ignoring the pain from his back as Diggle was quickly changing his bandages. "Hey, don't cry. Please!" Oliver pleaded, her tears were going to be his undoing if he didn't get them to stop soon. "I'm okay. Yes, he hurt me. But Felicity there was no way he was going to be able to kill me!" He said as he tried to calm her down.

"How do you know that?" Felicity asked, raising her voice to almost a yell. "He had you Oliver. He had you chained up and beaten so badly that you passed out. How can you sit there as Diggle patches up your back from a brutal whipping and tell me that Slade would not have killed you? How on earth would you have stopped him?" By the time she finished yelling at him the tears were flowing nonstop. She turned her away from him and looked at the floor, unable to look at him for the moment.

"I couldn't have stopped him. You're right." Oliver said as he pulled her close to him yet again. He then reached up and cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him again. "There was no way I could have stopped him. But he made one fatal mistake."

"What?" Felicity asked after Oliver was silent for a moment.

"Like Sara told him, he was too focused on me, on the revenge that he had planned for me. He didn't fully understand his enemy, our Team." Oliver explained as he gently held her, hoping that she really was listening. "He was so goal oriented that he failed to see the real threat that was just steps away from him."

"What threat?" Felicity asked, not fully understanding what he was telling her. "You mean Sara?"

"No, Felicity." Oliver said, unable to hold back the small laugh at her question. "You!" He paused for a moment to let that sink in. After a moment, when she looked like she was about to argue he continued. "He underestimated you, what you could do. You are good Felicity, the light to the darkness that is our existence. He was so focused on the darkness inside him that he failed to see you creeping in and taking over. He couldn't see what you were really capable of. You are a remarkable woman Felicity and our Secret Weapon!"

"You make it sound like I'm some hero." Felicity said with a laugh. What he was saying was ridiculous, she wasn't all that. "You're the hero. You, and Sara, and Roy, and Diggle. Not me, I'm just the IT expert."

"Oh Felicity, you're so much more than that." Oliver said just above a whisper. "Why can't you see that? You are what holds us together. Without you we would all be lost, and I would still be on Lian Yu after Tommy died drowning in my own guilt. But we aren't. We are all here because of  _you_  and the light and joy and fun that you bring into our lives. Without you there would be no Team Arrow."

Felicity stood quietly thinking about everything that Oliver had just said. He claimed that she was a hero, light in the darkness.  _Did he just call me a secret weapon?_  She thought to herself.  _Didn't Sara call me the same thing?_  Her brow furrowed at the thought as she tried to remember what Sara had said.

"What is it Felicity?" Oliver asked, seeing how hard she was thinking and wanting to know what was causing that adorable crease on her brow.

"Did you just call me a secret weapon?" Felicity asked in all seriousness.

"Yes!" Oliver said with a laugh.

"Sara, did you call me the same thing? When I injected Slade?" Felicity turned and asked the other woman.

"Yes." Sara replied, also unable to hold in the laugh at the question, and the fact that it took her this long to realize what had been said.

"Why?" Felicity asked the Team, even more confused than ever.

"Because everyone underestimates you." Diggle answered quietly from behind Oliver as he finished changing the last of the bandages on Oliver's back. "They all think that you are fragile, timid, incapable of hurting anyone, when in all reality you are probably more bad ass than anyone on the Team." He said as seriously as he could muster.

"Completely bad ass." Sara said as she put her phone away, finished with her phone calls. "Bitch with WiFi." She said as a huge smile spread across her face.

"Never bet against Felicity." Oliver said with a smile of his own as he quoted one of Roy's Lessons. "You will always lose!"

Felicity was speechless. She couldn't believe what the Team was saying about her. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice that Oliver had stood until he was pulling her into an embrace.

"Felicity Smoak, you are one remarkable woman and I am forever grateful that you agreed to join me." Oliver said with all sincerity as he looked into her eyes. "I love you!"

"I love you too Oliver." Felicity responded, just before Oliver claimed her mouth with his and kissed her. They stood, wrapped in each other's arms, kissing, for almost a full minute before they heard Diggle clear his throat behind them.

"Guys." Diggle called to the couple. "We really should get going unless you want Thea and Moira Queen to come down here looking for you Oliver."

Oliver smiled. He knew how unrelenting his mom and sister could be. He reached down and took Felicity's hand in his.

"Let's go home."


	37. Movie

Diggle helped Oliver into a clean pair of pants and one of his hoodies, knowing that it would be too painful to try and get a t-shirt over his head in the condition that his back was in. Once that was accomplished he and Sara slowly helped him make his way up the stairs and out to the car followed closely by Felicity. Once Oliver was settled in the back seat and Felicity was beside him Diggle and Sara climbed into the front seats and the Team left for the Queen Mansion. The drive took a bit longer than usual as Diggle didn't want to cause Oliver any more unnecessary pain.

Felicity held Oliver's hand tightly in hers during the entire drive to the mansion. After having seen him go through so much she wasn't about to let go of him anytime soon. Occasionally she would feel Oliver squeeze her hand a bit tighter and she came to realize that he did that whenever Diggle would hit a bump in the road. She hoped that once they got to the mansion he would be able to lay down and get some much needed rest. However, knowing his family, that was going to be a challenging task.

Oliver held onto Felicity's hand the whole drive home. Whenever they would hit a bad patch of road that would case the pain in his body to flare up again he would squeeze her hand just a little tighter in order to keep any sounds of pain from escaping. He knew that if she heard him in pain it would cause her to worry and that was the last thing that he wanted to do. A while later he felt relief wash through him as he saw the mansion up ahead. Those feelings, however, were quickly replaced with a slight nervousness about what he would find when they arrived.  _Will my family be safe? How worried are they?_   _Thea better not run into me again._  He thought with a slight smile as he remembered the last time he came home injured and his sister had all but tackled him to the ground. As they rounded the drive he saw Walter, Thea, Detective Lance, Laurel, and Roy, standing outside the front door, eagerly awaiting their arrival.

"Thea." Roy said, turning to his girlfriend as he saw the car pulling up the drive. When he was sure he had her attention he continued cautiously. "Don't forget that Oliver is hurt. You can hug him, but do it carefully."

Thea wasn't sure what Roy was going to say, but the look on her face had had her worried, until she realized that he was only looking out for her brother. She was about to say something to him when she remembered back to the last time Oliver had come home injured and how her hug had caused him more pain than he was already in. She determined to be extra careful this time since she had seen just  _how badly_  Oliver was hurt. She nodded her head slightly, letting Roy know that she understood what he was telling her and that she would be careful.

As soon as the car came to a stop in front of the house Roy quickly went to open Oliver's door and offer him a hand out. Oliver met the younger man's eyes with an appreciative look, letting Roy know that the assistance was greatly appreciated. Once he finally made it out of the car he squeezed Roy's shoulder, letting the kid know that he was good, before turning and taking Felicity's hand and walking towards the group standing at the front door. He could see that Thea wanted to run to him but was hesitant. That was the reason that as soon as they reached the group he reached out and pulled his sister to him, giving her a tight hug.

"It's okay Thea." Oliver said quietly as he held her close. He knew that this whole experience had shaken her up pretty badly and he wanted to reassure her that he was indeed going to be fine. "I'm fine. We are safe. You don't have to worry anymore."

"I thought I was going to lose you Ollie." Thea cried as Oliver held her close. She reached up and put her hands on his arms as he held her, not wanting to hurt him more. "I thought Slade was going to kill you."

"But he didn't." Oliver said as he pulled back and looked his sister in the eyes. "He lost that fight and now I'm home."

"And probably tired. Why don't we move inside?" Moira stated as she watched her children embrace. Her heart broke for both of them. It broke for Oliver and what he had had to endure, yet again. It broke for Thea and what she had seen done to Roy and Oliver. Neither of her children were going to be the same after this. She just hoped that they wouldn't close themselves off like Oliver had done when he came home from the island.

"That sounds like a good idea." Walter said from beside Moira as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

The group moved into the foyer before anyone spoke again.

"So, what do we do now?" Laurel asked, not sure what the plan was now that they were all back at the Queen's mansion. The group turned to look at Oliver and Felicity for directions.

"Do you need to lay down and get some more rest?" Felicity asked, turning to Oliver. She wanted to make sure that he didn't overdo anything right now.

"Sitting would be good." Oliver said as he tried to give the group a reassuring smile. "But I don't want to be stuck up in my room by myself right now." He explained. Right now all he wanted was to be around the people that he loved and cared about.

"We could always watch a movie in the den." Thea suggested excitedly. She was happy that Oliver wasn't going to lock himself away. "Ollie can lay down and rest while we watch it. Good combination of taking it easy and being with family and friends." She continued, hoping the group would give in. She looked to Oliver for his answer.

"That sounds like a great idea." Oliver said with a small smile. Thea was right, it  _would_  be a good way for him to get the rest that he needed and yet not be hidden away in his room. He could easily lay down on the couch while the movie played and it wouldn't be a problem if he ended up falling asleep during it.

"Great!" Thea said excitedly as the group moved into the den. "What do you want to watch?"

"How about that Disney movie Tangled?" Felicity asked. She had heard good things about it but had not seen it yet.

The suggestion was followed by a chorus of "NO!" from Oliver, Roy, and Diggle.

"I am  _not_  watching some really girly chick flick!" Diggle stated with finality as he helped Oliver into a comfortable position on the couch.

"What about the new Mission Impossible?" Roy asked, laughing at the look he got from Thea.

"I don't want to watch a movie where someone gets beat up like that." Thea said in response. "Not happening."

"What about 27 Dresses?" Sara asked, already knowing that she would get the same response that Felicity did, but she said it anyway so that she could laugh at the men when they didn't disappoint.

"OK guys! Really?" Thea said with exasperation as she looked at the extensive movie collection. "I'm picking and you guys don't have a choice because I just found the perfect movie." She couldn't help but laugh at the groans she heard from the group in the room.

"It better not be some dumb chick flick Thea." Roy muttered as she sat next to him on one of the couches.

"Are you guys joining us?" Thea asked as she turned to her Mom, Walter, and Detective Lance who were standing in the doorway.

"I don't think so honey." Moira said with a smile for her daughter. "I think we have a bit of business to take care of. You guys enjoy it though. I'll have Raisa bring you some popcorn and drinks."

"Oh hey, do you guys have ice cream?" Sara asked from her place on the floor. Lance couldn't help the laugh that escaped at the look on his youngest daughter's face. She looked like the little girl he remembered, begging for something that she shouldn't have.

"Yes, I believe we do." Moira answered, the laughter evident in her voice too. "What flavor would you like?"

"Oooh, Mint Chip." Felicity answered excitedly from her place on the couch.

Oliver couldn't help the smile that spread across his face at Felicity's excitement. However, he remembered her comment about how Mint Chip was how she processed things.  _I hope she's not beating herself up again._  He thought as she helped him to lay down on his side with his head on her lap. He pushed that thought from his mind though as he settled down, as comfortably as he could, to watch the movie that Thea had chosen. _  
_

"So, what are we watching?" Diggle asked from the armchair next to where Oliver and Felicity were sitting.

"Prince of Persia: Sands of Time." Thea stated with a huge grin as she started the movie. "I thought of Oliver and Sara when I saw the title on the shelf. I think you guys will like it." She finished as she cuddled up next to Roy on the couch.

"Oh yeah, that is a good one." Laurel said from her place on the end of the couch that Roy and Thea were sitting on. "You're right too. It does make me think of Sara and Oliver." She said with a smile, noting the looks of confusion from the two. She laughed before turning to watch the opening credits.

As they watched young Dastan parkour through the town it became evident what Thea had meant about it reminding them of Oliver. They quickly realized, however, that this was going to be a very long movie as Oliver was already critiquing the kid's form.

 


	38. Team Arrow

Moira couldn't help but laugh as she left the kids to their movie. Well, they weren't really kids, but right now they were sure all  _acting_  like little kids. She went to the kitchen to speak to Raisa, before joining Walter and Detective Lance in the parlor. They could, however, still see and hear the activity in the den.

"That is  _not_  how you do that!" They all heard Oliver exclaim at something that had happened in the movie.

"It's just a movie Ollie." Laurel said, laughing at him. "It doesn't have to be perfect."

"It could at least be accurate though." Sara said in response. "The way those assassins just did that is totally unrealistic."

Moira laughed as she joined Walter on the couch. "They will never grow up will they?" She said to no one in particular.

"I'm afraid not." Walter said as he joined her in laughter. "At least they are all safe now." He said after a moment, becoming serious again. "I still can't believe everything that they've been through in the last several weeks." He said as he watched the group in the other room. "Especially Oliver."

"He has quite the Team too." Lance commented, having noticed the bond between them. "Oliver, Felicity, Sara, Mr. Diggle, and Roy are quite a force to be reckoned with. I've never seen a Team as close as they are."  _ **  
**_

"Is it something born of shared experience?" Moira asked, knowing that the Team had spent a lot of time working together. _ **  
**_

"I'm not sure." Lance answered honestly. "I know that they have worked through a lot since they have become a Team, but I've never seen a Team bond like they have, not even in military units that have worked together for years. Oliver's Team can finish each other's sentences, have whole conversations without saying a word, they anticipate each other's moves, and know each other's strengths and weaknesses. Honestly they act more like a family than anything."

"They are the walking definition of teamwork aren't they?" Walter asked no one in particular.

"Well, they have spent over a year perfecting the art." Moira said with a smile.

"They each play a part within the Team too." Lance stated. At the questioning looks from Walter and Moira he went on to elaborate. "Okay, so for example, Oliver. He is the natural leader of the Team. The whole thing started with him when he got back from that island. He is the archer of the Team and is the one that everyone looks to for direction."

"I noticed that when Malcolm held us. They all look to him for direction, especially in challenging situations." Walter commented, remembering how they had all looked to and followed Oliver without question.

"Then there's Felicity, the IT expert and resident genius." Lance continued to explain, knowing that Walter and Moira may not know exactly what each Team member was capable of. "She can hack into any database on the face of the planet, and in record time too. She rarely goes out in the field, but yet is not afraid to do so if the situation demands it. She is brave beyond what you would imagine. She even took a bullet for Sara not long ago. She is the only person that will constantly stand up to Oliver, and she'll win. However, you apparently don't ever get between the two of them, that seems to end up badly. Her opinion is most valued on the Team and she is the glue that holds them together. I think if it wasn't for Felicity then they would all try to kill each other... frequently."

Moira and Walter laughed at the last comment from Lance as they could both see that happening.

"What about Mr. Diggle?" Moira asked after a moment. "I know he is ex Special Forces and was in Kandahar for a while but how exactly does he fit into the Team?" She was curious as to how the man that she had hired as Oliver's bodyguardended up as part of Oliver's Team.

"His Special Forces training comes in handy in the field." Lance answered, drawing on what he saw during the last mission when they went to rescue Oliver, Sara, and Felicity. "From what I've gathered he's saved Oliver's ass more times thanwe can count. Not that Oliver can't handle things on his own, but two is always better than one. Mr. Diggle, or just Diggle as they call him, is the getaway driver, the muscle, the better one at cover stories, and he is also the best long range marksman with a gun on the team. It seems that he is also the medic on the Team. I'm sure he's patched them all up at one point or another. He's essentially Oliver's right hand man and takes charge whenever Oliver isn't there to make the decisions."

"That makes sense." Walter stated as he nodded his head. "He can follow orders, or give them, depending on the situation. It seems you made a good choice when you hired him Moira." He said as he turned to the woman sitting next to him who smiled at him in return. "What about young Mr. Harper?"

"Roy. Oh the things I could tell you about that kid." Lance said as he rolled his eyes, remembering the many times he had arrested the kid for one thing or another. "He had a rough start it seems. He was always getting into trouble. I've arrested him more times than I can remember on one charge or another. He changed though, when Oliver saved him from the Savior, which in turn saved him from the life he was headed for. After Oliver rescued him he changed, started looking for ways to be better it seems. It wasn't until Cyrus Gold that he joined the Team though, I don't think. I'm pretty sure it was around that time that he ended up with the Mirakuru. It made him stronger, a  _lot_ stronger. Oliver must have taken him under his wing and started to train him not long after because I quit seeing him at the precinct. Working with the Team has been good for that kid. Right now he's the street smarts, but, I have a feeling that in a year or two he's going to be just as good at what they do as Oliver."

"It seems Thea has chosen well then." Moira said as she watched the two kids in question cuddling on the couch.

"I'm sure young Roy would notallow anything to happen to Thea." Walter stated, agreeing with the other two. "How does Sara fit into it all?"  _ **  
**_

Lance couldn't help but laugh at that. These two people didn't know half of what Sara had gone through, and he wasn't about to tell them, but if they had thenthey wouldn't have even needed to ask. He chose to go with the shortest explanation he could think of.

"Sara. Well she has some unique training." Lance explained. "During her time away she was trained in a special form of combat. In fact, I'm pretty sure she is the only one that could  _really_  get close to knocking Oliver on his ass. She is Oliver's right hand in a fight. They know each other's moves with a practiced ease that only comes from years of experience. They also understand each other and even if they don't know what all the other has been through exactly there is still a sense of understanding. She is perfectly capable of handling things on her own but sticks around for Laurel and I. She said that being away from family is the hardest thing she had to do and she won't give that up easily.

"So correct me if I'm wrong Detective but you're essentially saying the following." Moira started to ask. She simply wanted to make sure that she understood what he had explained. "Oliver is the leader and expert archer. Felicity is the IT expert and hacker. Diggle is the marksman, fighter, medic, and getaway driver. Roy is the one that has the street knowledge and is the up and coming protégé to the Arrow. Sara is the other fighter and essentially Oliver's right hand in the field. Did I get all that right?"

"Yes." Lance said with a laugh. It really was funny when she said it like that, like they all had a job description. "Their teamwork rivals that of any team I've ever seen. You get them together and there is nothing that they can't do. They seem to always have each other's backs and are willing to put their lives on the line for the city, for each other."

"Starling City really is safer with Team Arrow around." Walter said quietly.

* * *

Oliver was really only half paying attention to the movie. After seeing them mess up parkour moves so many times there was really not much left that kept his interest. As he heard his mom, Walter, and Lance start to talk in the other room he quit paying attention to the movie all together and listened instead to the conversation in the other room. He was surprised, although he shouldn't have been, when they started to discuss his Team. Apparently Detective Lance understood them better than he thought. At Lance's and Walter's final words Oliver couldn't help the pride that he felt. They were right, his Team did have each other's backs and would happily put themselves in harm'sway if it kept the rest of the Team safe. Protecting the city waswhat they worked hard each night to do. Protecting each other, their family, that was second nature, something they didn't even have to think about.

Oliver's last thought before he fell asleep, as Felicity ran her hands through his hair, was that he was the luckiest man on earth to have such a large, diverse, wonderful family


	39. Most Powerful Weapon

Diggle stood and stretched as the end credits of the movie started to roll. As he looked to Oliver and Felicity he noticed that the other man had fallen asleep sometime during the movie and was thankful as this would allow his body time to heal some more. As he looked up he noticed Moira sitting in the other room and headed that way as she caught his eye and it looked like she wanted to talk to him about something.

"Mr. Diggle." Moira called to the man as he walked towards the room that she was still sitting in with Detective Lance and Walter.

"Yes Mrs **.**  Queen?" Diggle answered, realizing that Moira had something major on her mind.

"How is he?" Moira asked quietly, knowing that the man would know she was talking about Oliver. "How bad are his injuries?" She had to know just how bad he was this time. They had not taken him to a hospital so it couldn't be life threatening, but still, she had to know how her boy was.

"He has quite a few new injuries." Diggle stated as he sat in a chair where the other three people in the room could still see him, yet he could still look across to the room where the rest of his Team was. "In a nutshell he has cracked ribs, new lacerations and stab wounds to his chest and torso, a nice bruise on his jaw and a split lip, as well as a  _lot_  of new lacerations to his back from being whipped again, he also has a bit of fluid in his lungs. Not to mention the damage that Slade did emotionally." He had decided to be as honest as he could with them. He was not surprised when he saw the tears well up in Moira's eyes at the list of new injuries.

"What emotional damage?" Walter asked, having caught that comment and became worried for his step-son.

"Slade tried to convince him that we were all turning our backs on him." Diggle explained, knowing that this information was just as important as the list of physical injuries. "He tried to take away all the ties that keep our team together. He tried to turn Thea against him by revealing the truth about Roy working with him. He tried to turn Roy against him by curing him of the Mirakuru, in front of Thea. He tried to turn Sara against him by attempting to drown her, as well as make Oliver relive the two times that he saw Sara supposedly drown. He tried to make Oliver think that I had turned my back on him and wasn't going to try and rescue him. Slade attempted, and miserably failed, to turn Felicity against him by giving her the dragon tattoo. However, I have a feeling that that tattoo is going to be the hardest thing for him to get past. Seeing that on her shoulder is going to remind him of one of the hardest choices he ever had to make and that's not going to be easy to get past."

"Felicity will make him I think." Lance said with a bit of a smile as he remembered just how convincing Felicity could be when she set her mind to something.

"Will my boy be okay?" Moira asked, worried for her son.

"He's going to be fine." Diggle answered, using Oliver's favorite word for lack of a better one. "He will just need time to heal from this." As Diggle finished this statement he noticed Sara quickly standing in the other room, shooting him a concerned look. He immediately stood and walked quickly to the other room where the rest of the Team still was. As he approached the back of the couch where Felicity was sitting, and Oliver sleeping, he realized why Sara was concerned.

"He's having anightmare." Felicity said with concern, recognizing the increased heart rate and ragged breathing that signaled that Oliver was reliving something in his dreams. "What do I do?"

Diggle knew why she was concerned. They all knew that you couldn't just wake Oliver from a nightmare without risking injury. However, he was asleep on Felicity's lap and they were all concerned that he would hurt her. On the flip side though, if she moved, they risked waking him anyway and he could still turn violent. He looked to Roy and Sara, asking for ideas.

"I don't know John." Sara answered his unspoken question. "If we wake him up someone's going to get hurt."

"He could hurt Felicity if she doesn't move." Roy spoke up as he moved closer to Sara, telling Thea to stay back out of the way.

"What's going on?" Moira asked as she joined the rest of the group. She had noted the looks of concern on everyone's faces and was worried that something had happened to Oliver, again.

"He's having a nightmare." Sara explained quickly, meeting her Dad's eyes and noting the worry in them. He clearly remembered what Oliver was like during these nightmares as he had witnessed more than on while Malcolm had held them. Whatever this one was about was clearly bad. Oliver was groaning and starting to thrash around in his sleep.

Suddenly Oliver bolted upright with a gasp, startling everyone in the room from the suddenness of his movement. Diggle, Sara, Roy, and Felicity heard the faintest of groans from Oliver as he came to. Clearly moving so quickly had put strain on his injuries and he was again in pain.

"Oliver?" Felicity asked hesitantly. "Oliver, it's Felicity, you're safe. Are you okay?"

Oliver turned to look at Felicity, still breathing heavy from the nightmare, and the pain from his injuries. He just looked at her, silently, for almost a full minute before he broke out of his reverie. "I'm fine Felicity." He said quietly just before he started to cough again. He suddenly found a bottle of water in his hand courtesy of Roy and he quickly took a small drink, trying to ease the pain in his ribs that the coughing caused.

"Ollie?" Laurel asked from her place next to Thea.

Once Oliver was able to stop the coughing he slowly looked around, meeting the worried gazes of his Team. He tried to give them reassuring looks, tried to let them know that he was going to be fine, however they all could still see the look of intense pain in his eyes. He was rescued by Diggle, however, before he had to answer Laurel's question or those that would come from the rest of the group.

"I think we need to get Oliver upstairs. His bandages will need to be changed and he needs to get some real rest if he's going to heal properly." Diggle noticed the looks that he got from Laurel and Thea as he was clearly keeping them from getting answers to any questions that they had, but he knew that Oliver wasn't in any condition to answer questions right now. He reached out and gave Oliver a hand up, reaching out to steady him until he was solid on his feet, and gave a small nod in response to the look of gratitude that his partner gave him.

Felicity stood and took Oliver's hand as he started to walk towards the stairs. They made slow progress as they ascended the stairs and Felicity could hear Roy and Sara telling the rest of the group to simply let Oliver be, they would get their chance to talk to him and get their answers at a later time. Felicity was extremely grateful for the rest of the Team and how they were sticking together.

Once Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle reached Oliver's room Diggle quickly turned and shut the door behind them. Felicity carefully led him to the bed where he sat on the edge with a groan, the loudest they had heard since they left the Foundry earlier. Clearly Oliver was in a lot of pain.

"Oliver?" Diggle asked, needing to know what the most pressing thing was at the moment.

"Herbs." Oliver said quietly, still trying to keep his pain levels under control. He knew that taking some of the herbs would take some of the edge off.

Diggle quickly grabbed some herbs and water and brought them to Oliver, hoping that they would help his friend again. Once Oliver took the herbs he nodded to Diggle to let him know that they could proceed from there. Felicity carefully helped him to take off his hoodie as Diggle got the supplies that they would need. She turned to look at him as he walked back over and she showed him the blood that had seeped through the bandages onto Oliver's hoodie. He wasn't too thrilled about the fact that his back had bled that much, again, however, he knew that the only thing he could do about it was change the bandages. As he worked to remove the old bandages he couldn't help but think about the fact that the rest of the group had to have seen the blood and knew that there would be some serious discussions to come. _ **  
**_

Felicity held Oliver's hand the entire time Diggle worked. She could hear the grunts and moans of pain and each one broke her heart. She squeezed Oliver's hand often, reminding him they she was there, he didn't have to go through this alone. Finally, after what seemed like forever Diggle was finished.

"Oliver." Felicity stated quietly, trying to get his attention. "Time to lie down and get some rest."

"I don't want to sleep." Oliver responded, looking away from her. Felicity looked up to meet Diggle's concerned gaze.

"Why not?" Felicity asked, concern clear in her voice.

"I don't want to have that nightmare again." Oliver whispered quietly.

"What nightmare?" Felicity asked as she moved to kneel in front of Oliver. She took his face in her hands and made him look at her. The look in his eyes made her heart break.

"Slade." Oliver started to explain in a whisper. "He..."

"He what Oliver?" Felicity asked him after a moment of silence. "What did Slade do in your nightmare?"

"He made me watch." Oliver said with tears welling up in his eyes. "He made me watch as he drowned Sara again, before doing the same to you."

Felicity's heart stopped for a moment. Oliver had had to watch as his friend had been dunked in the water, over and over again, in an attempt to drown her. Felicity could only imagine what memories that had brought back to the surface.  _Apparently it gave him a whole new set of nightmares too._  She thought sadly to herself.

"Oliver." Felicity said quietly, tears in her eyes. "Oliver, look at me. I'm right here! I'm not going anywhere. Sara is fine too. She wasn't even fazed by it! You can't let what  _could_ have happened eat you up inside. That's what Slade would have wanted. You have to move on!"

"Stay with me." Oliver said after a moment of silence as he digested her words. "I don't want to be alone."

"Of course." Felicity agreed, seeing the vulnerable young man behind the mask that he always wore. "I'll always stay with you."

At that Diggle stepped forward to help Oliver into a comfortable position on the bed. He then turned to Felicity to ask if she was sure she would be okay.

"We'll be fine John." Felicity said as she reached out and squeezed Diggle's arm reassuringly. "He just needs some rest. I'll look out for him." She said with a small smile.

"I'll be right outside if you need anything." Diggle said quietly, knowing that Oliver would have heard him as well. Felicity nodded her understanding before turning to join Oliver in the bed. She sat behind him with her back to the headboard and gently ran her hands through his hair as it seemed to be a gesture that relaxed him. As she heard the door close behind Diggle she noticed something odd.  _Strange. His whole back is covered in cuts from the whip, except his left shoulder where his dragon tattoo_ _is. I wonder if Slade did that on purpose._  She thought as she continued to try to comfort Oliver.

As Diggle closed the door to Oliver's room quietly behind him he met the concerned looks of Roy, Sara, and Thea.

"He's going to be fine." Diggle answered the unasked questions.

"How do you know?" Thea asked, genuine concern for her brother evident in the look on her face and in her voice.

"Because." Diggle said with a small smile. "Felicity's in there, and she's our Secret Weapon."  _ **  
**_

"What do you mean by 'Oliver's going to be fine because Felicity's in there and she's our Secret Weapon'?" Thea asked, repeating Diggle's words and causing Roy and Sara to laugh as she tried to imitate him. _ **  
**_

"He means that Oliver loves Felicity, and Felicity loves Oliver." Roy explained.

"If anyone can help Oliver bounce back from this it will be her." Sara added.

"How?" Thea asked as she turned to Diggle. He smiled as he answered her.

"Because love is the most powerful weapon."


	40. Sara Lance

When Oliver woke it was to sunlight peeking through the curtains in the room. As he began to move a bit he was aware of the aches and pains throughout his body, but mostly, he was aware of the other warm body in the bed with him. As he turned to look he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he saw Felicity sleeping next to him. He remembered asking her not to go, to stay with him, and was pleased that she had. Having her there seemed to keep away the nightmares, at least for a while. As he took in her sleeping form his smile faded as his eyes came to rest on her left shoulder, the Dragon Tattoo holding his attention. He felt the sadness creep in as he reached out and gently touched her shoulder. He remembered the last time he saw that tattoo on anyone other than himself and he realized that he still missed Shado. He had moved on, he had had to, but that did not change the fact that he still regretted the decision that had led to her death. He knew this was why Slade had chosen to give it to Felicity.  _He wants_ _me to think of Shado every time is see it._  He thought sadly to himself.

Oliver was drawn out of his thoughts as Felicity started to slowly wake.  _She is so beautiful._  He thought as he took in her still half asleep state, noticing the smile on her face, the way the sunlight shone in her blonde hair, the way she stretched like a cat as she woke. Despite the sadness he felt from seeing her tattoo he couldn't help the smile that slowly spread across his face when she opened her eyes and he could see how blue and full of light they were.

"Oliver?" Felicity asked sleepily. "Is everything okay? How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine Felicity." Oliver said quietly. He was a bit surprised that the first thing she had said was asking if he was okay.

"Did you sleep okay? Any nightmares?" Felicity asked, she hadn't missed the look on his face as she woke and was curious what had brought on the small smile that she saw on his face.  _Couldn't be a nightmare. He didn't wake me up and if it had been he most definitely wouldn't be smiling right now._  She thought as she waited for a response from the man next to her.

"Yes, I slept fine." Oliver answered, surprised that he had actually slept as well as he had, despite his injuries. "And no, no nightmares. Thank you for staying with me." He said sincerely, placing a hand on her cheek. He couldn't help himself and leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on her lips. Just as their lips met there was a soft knock on the door. "Every time. Every single time." He said quietly as he touched his forehead to hers, not missing the laugh and smile that came from her.

"Come in." Oliver growled, the frustration clear to Diggle who opened the door.

"Just wanted to check if you were up and if you needed anything." Diggle said with a smile as he noticed the position his two Teammates were in. He had obviously interrupted something because Oliver was clearly irritated. "We need to change your bandages as well."

"I need to take a shower and freshen up anyway." Felicity said as she started to move off the bed.

"I thought you would say that." Sara said as she came in to view behind Diggle. She had a bag in her hand and brought it to Felicity. "I went by your place, again. I hope you don't mind. Thought you might want some real clothes."

"Thank you!" Felicity said, her cheeks showing a hint of red from embarrassment as she realized that she was still in the tank top that she had borrowed from Sara. "I never mind you going to my place to get my stuff." She said with a grin, trying to hide her red face from Oliver as she turned to go into his bathroom and freshen up.

"Sleep well?" Sara asked, a huge grin on her face. She hadn't missed the growl of irritation from Oliver when Diggle entered, or the position that the two were in and the sight had made her happy. Even though she had dated Oliver, both before and after the Island, she knew that Felicity was much better for him. She and Oliver shared too much pain and darkness, her friend deserved someone like Felicity. She laughed out loud as Oliver glared at her, even though he had a hint of a smile on his face.

"Doesn't matter. Let's get those bandages changed." Diggle interrupted the glaring match. As much fun as it would be, he didn't want to be in the middle of an argument between those two right now, even if it was just for fun. As Diggle started to walk towards the medical supply bag one of the men from the security detail came looking for him. Apparently there was something that needed his attention.

"It's okay John." Sara said as she stepped up to take over for him. "I'll take care of this. You go sort out the kids." She said with a bit of a laugh at the glare Diggle gave her.

"I'd rather do this." Diggle muttered in response as he turned to walk out of the room leaving Sara to take care of Oliver.

Oliver slowly pulled himself out of bed and went to sit on the bench that was in the room. Despite the pain he was actually having a decent morning, he woke up alive and breathing, Felicity was still with him like she said she would be, and his Team hadn't changed at all because they were still as annoying as ever. However, he didn't miss the tension from Sara as she walked over and began to change his bandages.

"What is it Sara?" Oliver asked, trying to figure out what had caused the tension.

"It's nothing." Sara answered. The last thing she wanted to do right now was burden Oliver with her struggles.

"It's not nothing." Oliver said quietly, knowing that she was holding in whatever was bothering her because she didn't want to give him more to worry about. "If it was nothing then you wouldn't be so tense, and you would be wearing a real smile, not that fake one."

"How is it you seem to know when I'm hiding something?" Sara asked quietly, already knowing the answer.

"Because we've both been through things no one should have to go through. We know what it's like to have to close ourselves off to finish a mission, to stay alive." Oliver shared his thoughts. "What we both seem to keep forgetting though is that we don't have to do that anymore. Felicity keeps telling me that I'm not alone, that I need to open up. You're not alone either. So tell me, what's bothering you?" Oliver knew that each member of his Team would have different things that they were dealing with and that he would probably need to have a one on one conversation with everyone to make sure they were all going to be okay. This was as good a time as any to start.

"I know everyone was worried... when Slade tried to drown me." Sara started quietly, knowing this was the least of their problems. "I could tell you were concerned and I know that having to watch that had to have brought back some memories that you would have rather not have had at the time. You were worried that I was going to panic, that Slade was going to drown me. I could see it on your face." She paused for a moment, trying to decide how to go on. "I was more worried for you and what seeing that was going to do to you than I was for me. You had already been through so much and I was afraid that seeing him do that to me was going to break you."

"Hey." Oliver said as he turned to face her for the first time since the discussion started. "I'm not going to lie to you. When I realized what he was going to do to you I was worried. But at the same time I know how strong you are. I mean you survived almost drowning, twice."

"And you had to watch...both times." Sara argued back. "How could you watch that, for a  _third_ time, and not let it get to you?"

"Because..." Oliver  _had_  to find a way to make her understand what he had been thinking. "... You spent how long with the League? How many times after you left Lian Yu did you almost get killed and yet still survive? I knew, even if it was hard to believe, that you would find  _some_  way to pull through. I had to believe, despite how hard it was to watch, that you were  _not_  going to let Slade win."

"Turn around so I can finish." Sara demanded. She really did need to finish changing his bandages, and it would make talking easier if he wasn't looking at her. She continued her work in silence until she was finished with his back. "Slade really did a number on your back." She said quietly as she turned to get what she would need to change the bandages on his chest next.

"Yeah." Oliver responded. "He seemed to be pretty set on making it look as bad as he could."

"I'm sure he made it hurt pretty bad too. These look pretty painful too." Sara said, referring to the wounds on his chest and torso.

"Those didn't hurt as bad as the first time I get them though." Oliver said as he stood to make it easier for her to work.

"I never have asked you what happened." Sara commented as she focused on what her hands were doing. "I always figured it was best to just leave those questions alone. But, Slade commented that his partner is the one that gave them to you?" She finished her comments with a question.

"Yes." Oliver stated simply before taking a moment to decide just how much he wanted to tell her. "Billy Wintergreen was Slade's partner, and one of the many people that turned their back on Slade. He gave me those scars the first time we met. He and Fyers were trying to find Yao Fei and when I wouldn't tell them Billy gave me these."

"I'm so sorry Oliver." Sara said sadly. "I know my life with Ivo wasn't easy, but I didn't have people trying to kill me from the moment I was rescued. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"It was hard." Oliver told her honestly. "There were a lot of days that I didn't know if I was going to make it. But, the knowledge that my family was waiting for me to come home, and the promise I made my Dad, were what kept me going. I'm a better man now because of it."

"He didn't have to do this to you again!" Sara was mad that Slade had stooped so low as to recreate the wounds that his partner had given Oliver. She knew he was mad, but this was a whole new level of torture.

"I know, but he did and there is nothing that we can do to change that." Oliver stated as Sara put the last bandage on his chest. "He was trying to convince me that my Team had turned their back on me. Lucky for us, I know better."

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop him." Sara was obviously most upset about this and Oliver was finally realizing why she was so upset. It wasn't because he was hurt, but that she had been knocked out when Slade did it and could do nothing about it.

"It's not your fault." Oliver said as he grabbed her shoulder and forced her to look at him. "Slade knocked you out as you were protecting me. Don't blame yourself for that!"

"Oliver's right Sara." Felicity said from behind them. She had heard a lot of the conversation between Oliver and Sara and felt that this was the time to step in and speak her peace. "Slade was out to get us all. Even if he hadn't knocked you out he would have found a way to do this to Oliver anyway. It was just a matter of time. You did everything that you could. If you hadn't gotten the key from the guard then we would all still be there and in much worse condition."

"You did everything that you could." Oliver agreed with Felicity. "Thank you! For everything that you did to get us out of there. I owe you my life."

"Stop it okay." Sara said, trying to smile. "You guys are going to make me cry and that's not acceptable from an Assassin!"  _ **  
**_

They all shared a small laugh at that, thankful that the mood had finally lightened.

"Thank you!" Sara finally said quietly.

"We can't have you blaming yourself for something that was completely out of your control." Felicity said with a smile. "Oliver does that enough for everyone." She whispered comically to Sara, knowing the whole time that Oliver would hear her.  _ **  
**_

"Hey now!" Oliver said, trying to sound offended.

"What's this? You all having fun without me?" Diggle asked from the door, trying to sound offended. Frankly he was just happy that they weren't all still brooding. That got old fast.

"What can we say, you weren't here. Your loss." Felicity said with a laugh at the mock look of hurt on his face.

"Come on. Raisa has breakfast ready and your families are starting to wonder where you are." Diggle said to the group. They all turned to head down to breakfast with everyone else and laughter could be heard as they descended the stairs as the Team continued to tease each other and joke around.


	41. Moira Queen

Moira heard the Team approaching the dining room before she ever saw them. They were laughing and joking as they slowly made their way down the stairs and she was thankful that they had found a way to enjoy a lighter moment, despite everything that had happened. As the Team entered the dining room Moira could see that Oliver was still weary from his injuries as he was not moving as quickly and easily as he normally did. He also seemed to be rely on Felicity and Diggle more than she had previously seen him do.

She watched closely as Oliver sat carefully in a chair. Moira noticed that he was careful not to lean back to keep from putting unnecessary pressure on his injuries and it brought back a memory from the night before. She had seen blood stains on the back of Oliver's hoodie when he stood to go to his room and the sight had worried her. She decided that she would speak with Mr. Diggle again today and get an update on her son.

The Lances, the Queens, Walter, Roy, Diggle, and Felicity sat in an awkward silence while they ate. The fun and laughter from earlier this morning was gone for the moment and each was unsure how to say what was on their minds. It wasn't until the food was half gone that Thea started talking about a party that she had been asked to host at Verdant for a friend's birthday. It helped rid the room of the silence, however the tension was still evident.

As the group stood to leave the table and find things to keep them busy for the day, Moira saw her chance to pull Mr. Diggle aside and inquire about Oliver's health.

"Mr. Diggle." Moira asked with a smile, not wanting anyone to be concerned. "May I have a word with you please?"

"Yes ma'am." Diggle answered as he turned to join her and they walked to the den. "Is everything okay?"

"I was just wondering..." Moira started to ask.

"How Oliver is doing?" Diggle finished her sentence for her. He had had a feeling that this was what she wanted to talk about.

"Yes." Moira whispered. She turned away from the man in front of her and went to stand in front of the window. "I saw the blood on his hoodie last night and it worries me." She finally continued after a moment of silence.

"Oliver's strong." Diggle said quietly as he walked towards her. "He'll pull through this."

"How?" Moira asked, tears in her eyes. "How are you so confident?"

"Because he knows I have too many people to help me  _not_ to pull through." Oliver said from across the room.

Moira spun around in surprise. She had not expected Oliver to be there and it had startled her.

"I heard you two talking and thought I should come talk to you myself." Oliver provided in explanation.

"How did you even know we were talking about you?" Moira asked her son. He had been in the other room with everyone else and the group wasn't exactly being quiet as they discussed the day's plans.

"My hearing improved while I was on the Island." Oliver commented quietly as he walked over to stand next to his mother. He noticed as Diggle quietly walked out, allowing them the privacy that would be needed for this conversation. "Mom, I'm going to be fine!"

"A mother can't help but worry for her children." Moira said as she looked at her son. Realizing that he was still short on strength she gently pulled him over to the couch and sat down. She couldn't help the sadness as he stifled a groan as he sat down next to her. "I spent my whole life doing what I could to protect both you and Thea, yet here we are, again."

Oliver reached out and took his mom's hand, hoping that the gesture would comfort her. He allowed the silence to stretch on, knowing that she would continue when she was ready.

"I never told Thea about Malcolm. I was afraid of what it would do to her, especially after the Undertaking." Moira then looked up to Oliver's eyes as she continued, all her emotion was evident in her voice and in the tears in her eyes. "I never told you about the Undertaking either. I was afraid. Afraid of what you would think of your father and I if you knew. I'm sorry you found out about it the way that you did. It should not have been your burden to carry."

"When I buried Dad on the Island I still didn't know what the Undertaking was. I simply found a notebook with empty pages in his pocket. It wasn't until several days later that I found out there were names in it, and it wasn't until quite a while after I got back to Starling City that I figured out that the list of names was connected to the Undertaking." Oliver explained. He wanted her to be able to finally let go of this weight that had been on her shoulder. "I have a feeling that this isn't about the Undertaking though. What's really wrong Mom?"

"Oh son, but it is about the Undertaking." Moira had to look away from him again as the guilt threatened to overwhelm her again. "If your Father and I had not been involved in the Undertaking then none of this would have happened. Robert would not have been headed to China. You would not have gone with him on the Gambit. The yacht would not have sunk in the North China Sea. You would not have had to deal with Robert dying, or being marooned on that island. Most importantly, you would never have met Slade Wilson and would not have had to go through all the pain that my choices have put you through."

"Slade's vendetta against me had nothing to do with you Mom." Oliver knew what she was trying to say but he would  _not_  allow her to shoulder all of the blame. "Slade was out to destroy me because of a choice that  _I_ made. It had nothing to do with you, or the Undertaking." Oliver had to swallow back the emotions that threatened to spill over. He knew that if he let them get the best of him then the chances of him getting through this conversation would become slimmer. He decided that it was finally time to tell his mom about the hardest thing he that had had to do on the Island.

"I met Slade a few months after I landed on the Island." Oliver started his story as he stared at the model of a boat in the room, remembering it like it was yesterday. "We became good friends. He trained me to fight, to hunt, to survive. We were like brothers."

"What happened?" Moira asked, seeing the pain on her son's face.

"About a year after the Gambit went down I saw Sara again. I thought she had died so was surprised when she showed up." Oliver purposefully left out some of the details of that reunion in order to not upset his mom further. "She had been rescued by a man named Ivo and they came to the Island in search of the Mirakuru. Slade, a woman named Shado, and I knew how to find it and Ivo did what he could to get the information. Sara ended up with us as she tried to escape Ivo, now knowing what lengths he was willing to go to in order to get the Mirakuru. We were able to get away from him, but not until after Slade had been very badly wounded. We took Slade to where the Mirakuru was, knowing that the only way to save him was to inject him with it. We thought it had killed him at first and while we were trying to decide what to do next Ivo caught up to us, again."

Moira listened attentively. She knew Oliver had been through a lot, she had seen the scars and witnessed the nightmares. She was thankful that he was opening up to her now, no matter how hard it was for both of them.

"Ivo took Shado, Sara, and I prisoner and started a trek across the Island to get back to the ship that he came in on. He decided that he didn't need all of us anymore." Oliver paused for a moment as he tried to decide just how much detail he should give her. "He made Sara and Shado kneel facing me and we all had our hands bound behind our backs. That was when Ivo pulled out a gun and pointed it at the ground between them. Then he told me to choose, choose who lived and who died." Oliver took a moment to reign in his emotions again, however he was unable to keep the tears from welling up in his eyes.

"I told him I wouldn't choose, I  _couldn't_  decide which of my friends lived or died. It was an impossible choice but still he insisted that I make it, saying that if I didn't choose then he would shoot them both." He took a deep breath and swallowed before continuing. "That was when he pointed the gun at the back of Sara's head. I argued with him, trying to save them both, but he didn't budge, just kept yelling at me to choose. So I did. I ran over, placing myself between the gun and Sara. I knew that I couldn't let him kill Sara, not if she had even the slightest chance of getting back here to her family. I thought... I thought he would shoot me instead. I wanted to save them both. Instead Ivo shot Shado in the back of the head. She died instantly."

"I'm so sorry Oliver." Moira said as tears streamed down her face. She reached out and gently pulled Oliver into her arms.

"It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do." Oliver whispered as his mom held him.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Moira said, the sincerity clear in her voice.

"Slade loved Shado and when he realized that I was the reason she was dead he promised me that I would know what that feels like." Oliver finished explaining.

* * *

Lance wiped the tears that were spilling over. He had not meant to overhear the conversation between Oliver and Moira, he had just happened to be walking by when he heard Oliver talking about Sara. He never realized that Oliver had had to make a choice like that.  _If only I had known._  He thought as he turned to walk outside for some fresh air.  _I blamed him for killing my baby girl when instead he had tried to give up his own life to save her._  He walked until he reached the chairs by the pool. Sitting down he put his head in his hands as the tears flowed. His baby girl had almost died three times while Oliver watched. He determined yet again to find a moment where he could have a private conversation with Oliver and thank him personally for everything that the kid had done for his family.


	42. Detective Quentin Lance

Diggle stood just outside the room where Oliver was talking to Moira. He wanted to ensure that they had the privacy that they needed, yet still be available if Oliver should need him for anything. Detective Lance was walking by and Diggle was not surprised when the man stopped suddenly, apparently overhearing the conversation between Moira and Oliver. Diggle knew that they were talking about the island and what Oliver and Sara had experienced and knew that the Detective was hearing the story as well. If it had not been for the look on Lance's face Diggle would have suggested the man give the mother and son privacy, however he had a feeling that Lance needed to hear this as much as Moira did. It was just as Oliver was finishing his story that Diggle watched the Detective turn and walk out to the pool and he could see the tears on the man's face.

"Oliver." Diggle quietly called to his partner, knowing that Oliver would be the only one to hear him. He stood just outside the door where Oliver could see him, yet out of the way enough that he would not be interrupting.

Oliver looked up from his mother's embrace when he heard Diggle call to him quietly. He could tell by Diggle's tone of voice that they needed to talk about something and so he gently pulled back from his mom, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Mom, are you going to be okay?" Oliver asked, concerned about how she was dealing with everything that had been revealed in their discussion.

"Yes." Moira said as she wiped her eyes and gave Oliver a small smile.

"Diggle needs to speak with me for a moment." He explained as he slowly stood.

"Okay?" Moira asked, confused again as to how Oliver knew he was needed when she could neither see nor hear anyone.

"Improved hearing, remember." Oliver explained with a small smile, knowing that she couldn't figure out how he could know when she had not heard or seen Diggle at the door.

Moira gave Oliver a small smile. She realized that she never would fully understand just  _how much_  Oliver had changed during his time away, or what had caused those changes. As she watched Oliver walk away to speak with Mr. Diggle she decided that it didn't matter how it happened, what mattered was that her son was a better man after his time on the island and she would simply be thankful that he was home again.

"What is it Diggle?" Oliver asked as he walked up to his partner. He knew that something, or someone, needed his attention or else Diggle would not have called him. _  
_

"Lance." Diggle answered Oliver quietly. He knew that the younger man would quickly understand what he was saying even without him needing to spell everything out for him.

Oliver had known that someone had stopped outside the room he and his mom were talking, he had just not been able to figure out who that was. Well, now he knew. He nodded his head in understanding before asking another question.

"Where?" Oliver then asked, realizing that there was a very difficult discussion coming up.

"Pool." Diggle knew that this talk with Lance would be hard, for both parties, and he determined, yet again, to keep them from being interrupted as long as possible. He followed Oliver to the door that Lance had disappeared through where he stopped to stand guard, yet again.

Oliver slowly made his way across the pool deck to where Lance was sitting on a lounge chair, with his head in his hands. He cleared his throat while he was still a few steps away to alert the Detective that he was there, before slowly lowering himself to a chair next to the other man. He drew in a slow breath to steady himself before he plunged into conversation.

"Detective?" Oliver asked, drawing the man's attention from his hands to Oliver's face.

"Oliver." Lance stated simply acknowledging the other man's presence, but nothing more.

"I know that you probably have a lot of questions." Oliver was trying to encourage the Detective to talk at his own pace and about whatever topic was bothering him. Just as it appeared he would have to simply flat out ask certain questions, Lance started to talk quietly as he looked back down to his hands.

"Did you really try to give up your life to save Sara?" Lance asked just above a whisper. "On the island?" He clarified.

"Yes." Oliver answered simply and honestly.

"Why?" Lance asked as he looked back up at the young man sitting across from him. It was in that moment that Lance realized just how much Oliver had aged during his time away. He no longer looked like the carefree young man that got away with whatever he wanted. Instead the person sitting in front of him was a man. A man who looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, a man who now knew the value of life all too well, a man who looked like he had survived a trip to hell and back. This man was no longer Ollie Queen, the kid who cheated on one daughter with the other. This was Oliver Queen, the man determined to protect his city and everyone in it, no matter the cost.

Oliver took a moment to decide how to proceed. He knew what Lance needed to hear, he just wasn't sure how to tell him.

"When I invited Sara to join me on the Gambit I was just a wild kid that didn't want to settle down." Oliver began to explain, trying not to look at the Detective's face. "Laurel had asked me to move in with her and the thought scared me. I was going to lose any and all independence I thought I had and would be tied down to her. I wasn't ready for that level of commitment. That's why I asked Sara if she wanted to join me. I just wanted a few weeks of freedom to do whatever  _I_  wanted before I came back to Laurel and our relationship went forward." Oliver knew that Lance would not appreciate some of this information, however, he also knew that it was important that the man understood why he had made the decisions that he had.

"When the Gambit left the dock Sara and I were just out to have fun. We thought a couple weeks at sea would be an adventure. Neither of us anticipated what was coming." Oliver swallowed and took a deep breath as the night of the Gambit sank played out in his mind. "I don't remember how long we were gone before the storm hit. It was a Category 2 storm, we were getting ready to turn around and come home. Sara and I were in my room, enjoying a bottle of wine, when the hull of the yacht shook with a groan. The boat split open like a can of tuna. The water sucked Sara out and I thought she had died."

Lance sat transfixed as he listened to Oliver tell his story. He had known things had not been easy, that both Oliver and Sara had lived through a lot in the five and six years that they had been gone. However, not once had the thought crossed his mind that Oliver had had to watch as he thought Sara died. He felt immense sadness, not only at what Sara had lived through, but that Oliver had been forced to watch as she was sucked into the ocean. He couldn't help the fresh tears that welled up in his eyes.

"It was about a year later that I saw Sara again." Oliver continued after taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "She was with a man named Ivo. He had rescued her after the Gambit went down. Several things happened and we ended up in a situation where Ivo was holding Sara, myself, and a woman named Shado hostage. He forced Sara and Shado to kneel in front of me and told me to choose. Choose which one lived and which one died."

Lance nodded slightly, remembering hearing Oliver tell Moira this just moments earlier. "I heard you tell your mother." Lance finally admitted.

Oliver knew that Lance had overheard him, however, he had wanted the man to admit it so he didn't have to explain  _how_  he knew that.

"When I placed myself between the gun and Sara I thought that Ivo would shoot me instead of one of them." Oliver looked down at his own hands, remembering that night on the Island with vivid clarity. "It was a split second decision. I knew that while Sara still alive there was a chance that she could come home, could be safe, could be with her family again. I thought that since it was my fault she was on the Gambit to start with, this would be the least that I could do. I could give her that chance to come home."

"Is that when he shot Shado?" Lance asked quietly. He had clearly heard the emotion in the younger man's voice and could only imagine what it had taken for him to make that choice, that sacrifice.

"Yes." Oliver answered as he swallowed back the tears. "Ivo took that as my decision and Shado fell to the ground with a bullet to the back of the head. Slade had loved Shado and when he found out that it was because of me that she was dead he promised me I would know what it felt like to lose the woman that I love, to know complete despair." Oliver then looked up to look the Detective in the eyes. "That is why he came here to Starling City. To find me and destroy me."

"Oliver, I've told you once before but I'm going to tell you again. Not everything that happens is your fault." Lance repeated the words that he had told the younger man while he was in the hospital after the incident with Cyrus Gold. "You  _can't_  be responsible for every bad thing that happens."

"But I  _am_  responsible for what Slade did." Oliver argued. "If I hadn't..."

"No Oliver. Don't go down that road!" Lance interrupted him. He knew Oliver was going to play the  _'what if'_ game and that was not going to get them anywhere. "You did what you had to do to survive, to help Sara survive. What Ivo did, that was  _not_  your fault. It was  _his_. From what you've said he was going to kill one of them one way or another. You simply gave Sara the chance to come home, and she did, because of  _you!_ " Lance stood and took a couple of steps to reign in his emotions. After a moment of silence from both of them Lance turned and sat back down. The time had come. "Oliver, I've never thanked you."

"Thank me? For what?" Oliver asked confused. He didn't know what Lance could be thanking him for, or why.

"You didn't always have the best of motives when it came to my daughters." Lance said with almost a laugh. "But, when it came down to it, you chose to protect them - both of them. You were willing to give up your life for Sara, you gave her a chance to come home. You have been there for Laurel so many times since you've come back, you've saved her life. I know Laurel hasn't always supported what you're doing and that she hunted you. But,  _I_  know that if it wasn't for  _you_  she would have been killed many times over." Lance swallowed down the emotions that were welling up. He knew that if he didn't get this out now then he never would. "Thank you! For being there for my daughters, for me. Thank you for protecting this city. Thank you for being willing to do whatever it takes to protect the innocent. You're a hero Oliver."

"No, I'm not." Oliver said quietly. After the things that he had done he didn't see why Lance and Felicity kept saying that he was a hero.

"Yes, you are." Lance argued, the conviction clear in his voice and causing Oliver to look the man in the eyes again. "You constantly put yourself, your life, on the line to protect others. You constantly show that you are willing to die so that others can live.  _That_ , Oliver, is the essence of a true hero.  _That_  is who  _you_  are!"


	43. Thea Dearden Queen

Oliver and Lance sat in silence for a moment before Lance stood, silently placed a hand on Oliver's shoulder, and then headed back inside. As he passed Mr. Diggle he gave a silent nod of thanks to the man who was always watching out for others.  _Oliver's Team, they are all heroes._  Lance thought as he left the men in silence. He had finally had a chance to thank Oliver, he just hoped the kid would finally listen to what people were saying to him. So many people believed in him and his Team, it was time Oliver started to believe in himself.

Diggle nodded to Lance as the other man walked past him. He could see that the Detective was walking with a lighter step, like a large weight had been taken off his shoulders. He knew that the conversation with Oliver had done Lance a world of good, he just hoped that the same was true for Oliver. He turned and quietly joined his partner, waiting silently until Oliver was ready to talk.

"He called me a hero." Oliver finally said in a whisper as he continued to look at his hands. "Why do people keep calling me that?" He asked as he slowly looked up to Diggle.

"Because you are Oliver." Diggle responded quietly, tilting his head to the side as he looked at his partner. "People believe in you man. Now you just need to believe in yourself."

Oliver looked Diggle in the eyes, seeing that his friend truly meant what he said. Before he could think about it for too long Diggle interrupted his thoughts.

"Come inside, you need to get some rest." Diggle said as he walked over to give his friend a hand up. Oliver was doing remarkably well considering what he had endured at the hands of Malcolm and Slade, but he also knew that Oliver would need constant reminders that he didn't have to go through this alone.

Felicity noticed the moment Diggle and Oliver walked back inside after Oliver talked with Lance. They headed straight for the stairs and she realized that Oliver was probably headed to get some rest. She turned to follow them up the stairs to make sure they didn't need her, and to see for herself how the man she loved was holding up. She walked into Oliver's room just as he was lowering himself to sit on the bed. She came in and sat next to him, taking his hand in hers.

"How are you holding up?" Felicity asked, simply hoping he would say something other than 'fine'.

"Honestly, I'm exhausted." Oliver confided in his teammates.

"Not surprising." Diggle stated as he changed a couple of Oliver's bandages. "You just finished a couple of emotionally draining conversations."

"My mom, then Detective Lance." Oliver answered her questioning look before she even had a chance to voice her questions.

"Ah." Felicity slowly helped Oliver lay down on his side and placed a hand on his cheek. "I need to go to the Foundry and do a couple of things. Are you going to be okay without me?" She asked, wondering if he would want her to stay with him to help him sleep.

"I'll be fine." Oliver answered, giving her an encouraging smile. "I probably won't sleep anyway. I just need to let my body rest some."

"I can stay and help Ollie if he needs it." Thea said from the doorway. She had been feeling useless, unable to do anything to help. The least she could do is sit with Oliver while Felicity was gone in case he needed anything.

"Thank you Thea." Felicity smiled at Oliver's sister. She clearly needed to do  _something_  to feel helpful, needed. Maybe this is just what she, and maybe even Oliver, needed right now.

Thea walked into the room and pulled a comfortable chair next to Oliver's bed, not missing the quiet words and gentle kiss that her brother and the blonde shared.  _She really is good for him._  She thought as she noticed the worry lines on Oliver's face ease after the brief contact with Felicity.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Felicity said to Oliver, Thea, and Diggle as she headed out to the Foundry.

"I'm going to go take care of a few things here Oliver." Diggle explained as he turned to leave the room as well, knowing that Oliver would need privacy, yet again. "Send Sara to find me if you need anything." Sara had just walked up to the room and he knew from the look on her face that she would stick around and make sure the siblings weren't interrupted.

"I'm going to hang out here." Sara said with a smile. "Holler at me if you need anything!" With that she quietly closed the door to Oliver's room, leaving the siblings in peace, and prepared to tune out any conversations from the inside.

* * *

Thea sat quietly by Oliver's bed and watched him sleep. He had tried to stay awake for a while but apparently his body had other ideas as it only took a few minutes of laying down for his eyes to drift closed and his breathing to even out. She watched his chest rise and fall with each breath, thankful that he was still here, still alive. Watching him being tortured by Slade had really gotten to her and she was glad to have this time to gather her thoughts and reassure herself that he really was alive and okay.

"Why so serious Speedy?" Oliver asked quietly, his eyes still closed. He could tell that she was tense though, simply from her semi unsteady breathing and her elevated heartbeat.

"Oh, Oliver, you scared me." Thea said with a start. She had thought he was sleeping and yet here he was, talking to her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Oliver said as he slowly opened his eyes to look at his little sister. She had been forced to see and endure a lot recently and he was worried for her. "What are you thinking about?"

"You." Thea answered with complete honesty, unable to keep the worry from showing on her face. "I'm thinking about what it must have been like...while Slade was whipping you." She pulled her legs up under her and adjusted into a more comfortable position as she gathered her thoughts. "You didn't make a sound, you said you were fine, and I want to know  _how_  you did that."

"I've been through worse Thea." Oliver said quietly, watching closely for her reaction.

"What?" Thea gasped, quickly looking up from her hands resting in her lap to her brother's face.  _He said that a lot happened on the island, but what could be worse than being whipped?_  She thought as Oliver carefully moved into a sitting position.

"You want to know what happened." Oliver stated, knowing that he was right, even if she didn't say it. "A lot happened on the Island Thea, bad things. From the moment we hit the storm to the moment I got home, for five years, there was  _nothing good_  that happened. I had to watch as Sara supposedly died right in front of me, twice. I had to watch Dad die. I was beaten and tortured multiple times and there was no modern medical help, only the herbs that were on the Island." Oliver took a moment to reign in his emotions. He wanted Thea to understand why he was the way that he was now. He waited a moment, watching the tears streaming down her face unchecked before he continued. "I had to watch as people I cared about were killed right in front of me. What made it worse, though, was that I had no real hope. Yes, I was always looking for a way to get home but each time I thought a way had been found something bad happened. I lost all hope and was starting to think that I would never get back here, to you and mom, my family."

"I'm so sorry Oliver." Thea said quietly. "I didn't know."

"Come here." Oliver said as he patted the bed next to him, inviting her to some sit next to him. She slowly unfolded herself from the chair and sat tentatively next to him.

As soon as Thea sat down next to Oliver he pulled her into a tight hug. "Don't you ever be sorry." He said to her quietly. "It is not your fault that that stuff happened. Besides, if I hadn't had to grow up on that Island then I would still be party boy Ollie." He said trying to lighten the mood a bit with his tone of voice.

"How exactly was what Slade did to you easier?" Thea finally asked as she pulled away to look her brother in the eyes again.

"I knew that I wasn't alone and that the Team would find me." Oliver explained with a smile. "I didn't have that on the Island. There was no one to rescue me or help me most of the time and of the three people that I did trust two of them were killed and the other hates me."

"Slade." Thea stated, realizing what Oliver wasn't saying.

"Yes." Oliver whispered.

"I really missed you Ollie." Thea said after a couple minutes of silence where they simply hugged each other. "When mom said the Gambit went down... I felt like a piece of my heart had been ripped out. It hurt  _so_  much, knowing that you guys had been lost at sea. For months I waited, hoped, that we would get news that you guys had made it to safety and were coming home. When they gave up the search I was so mad. I had wanted to believe for so long that you and dad were coming home and they told me that there was no way... that you couldn't have survived. I didn't want to live anymore." Thea confessed to her brother. She had told him that the five years he had been gone was rough, she just never described how completely lost she felt. She had decided that since Oliver was finally opening up to her about the island that it was the least that she could do to share her feeling with him.

"Oh Thea." Oliver whispered into her hair. "I wish there was something I could do to take that pain away from you. To keep you from having had to go through that. I can't imagine what it was like to hear about the Gambit being lost. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you!" Oliver couldn't keep the emotion from being evident in his voice. He knew that he hadn't been the only one to suffer during his time away, but that didn't make it any easier right now. He hated that his little sister had had to endure such heartache.

"Did you even miss us?" Thea asked quietly.

"Yes!" Oliver said emphatically. "Every minute that I was away! Did you think I didn't?"

"When you first came home it seemed like spending time with your family was the last thing that you wanted to do. It was like you didn't even miss us and that hurt worse than you being gone."

"Thea. Of course I wanted to spend time with you." Oliver explained carefully. "I was worried though."

"Ollie I swear, if you say you were worried for my safety..." Thea raised her voice to argue, having heard that excuse one too many times.

"Thea." Oliver interrupted his sister. "You saw what happens to people who are close to me, who know I'm the Arrow."

"That is not an excuse Ollie." Thea stood and faced her brother. It was time he understood that he wasn't always right. "We are your family, we deserved to know!"

"You're right." Oliver finally conceded. "I should have told you what was going on. But Thea, I didn't want you to have to carry that burden. People who know... they are in danger every single day."

"And yet you told Mr. Diggle, and Felicity." Thea argued. "Aren't you worried about  _their_ safety?"

"Yes! Every single day!" Oliver was trying to make her understand why he had kept it a secret.

"So you trust them, but not your own family." Thea accused.

"That's not it!" Oliver felt defeated, he didn't know what he could say that would make her understand.

"Then what Ollie?" Thea practically shouted at him.

"I was scared okay!" Oliver shouted back at her, he was becoming exhausted and it caused his control to slip for a moment. However, he was able to reign it in again when he saw the look of surprise on her face. He knew then that he had to explain what he meant, even if he was only starting to understand it himself. "I was afraid of what you would think of me if you knew the truth." He took a moment to gather his thoughts and calm himself again. "When I first started, as the Vigilante, I did things. Things I shouldn't have. Things that I'm not proud of."

"You mean killing people?" Thea asked quietly. Remembering the body that Detective Lance had shown her and Roy.

"Yes." Oliver whispered. "I was afraid of what you would think of me if you really knew who I had become, how the Island had changed me. I had already thought I had lost my family once. I didn't want that to happen again."

"You're never going to lose us Ollie." Thea said as she again sat next to him on the bed. "We are your family, and no matter how hard you try to push us away we are not going anywhere!" She gently wrapped her arms around him to hug him again, seeing how difficult that admission had been on him. Suddenly she realized she had one more question. "If you were scared of what we would think of you, why did you tell Diggle and Felicity?" She leaned back as Oliver let out a deep sigh and she realized that this answer would be as hard as any he had provided yet today.

"With both Digg and Felicity I told them out of necessity." Oliver carefully explained as he looked her in the eye. "Both times it was a life or death situation. I had to tell them. But, I also told them because I needed help. I thought I could do this alone, but it takes a whole Team to do what we do."

"Wait a second." Thea stopped him. She had caught his comment about a life and death situation and needed him to elaborate. "What do you mean by life and death situations?"

"With Diggle he had been shot by Deadshot. The bullet was laced with curare and if he didn't get help he would have died." Oliver explained, watching her carefully for her reaction. "I took him to my lair, the Foundry, and was able to stop the poison with some herbs I brought back from the Island. That was the night I asked him to join me."

"What about Felicity?" Thea asked, curious as to what situation had brought the bubbly blonde into her brother's life.

"I had been shot." Oliver admitted, however he wasn't going to give her all the facts. She didn't need to know all of the details. "She was nearby so I climbed in the back of her car and asked her to take me to Verdant. She did and has been a part of the Team ever since."

"Who shot you?" Thea asked, swallowing hard at the thought of Oliver laying on the table in the basement of Verdant, bleeding and dying.

"That doesn't matter." Oliver avoided her question. "What matters is that I'm fine, and safe, and home." He finished with a smile.

The siblings sat in silence for a few more minutes, each dealing with their own thoughts before Thea again realized just how tired Oliver was. She slowly stood and turned to face her brother once again.

"You need to lay down and get some rest." Thea told her brother with a small smile on her face.

"I'm fine Thea." Oliver argued.

"You might be." Thea said with a smile. "But Felicity thinks you're resting and if she finds out that you're not because of me I'm afraid of what she will do to my online shopping accounts." She teased him.

"She is quite a force to be reckoned with when she wants to be." Oliver agreed with a smile.

"Yeah." Thea laughed. "I also know what rule number one is thanks to Roy and I refuse to break that one!"

"Fine." Oliver finally gave in as he tried not to laugh. "I'll lay down and get some rest, just don't tell Felicity. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it." Thea couldn't keep the laughter from her voice.

"It seems the big bad Arrow is afraid of his little IT Genius!"


	44. Dinah Laurel Lance

Sara could not contain the smile and laughter that bubbled up when she heard Thea's comment about Felicity and Oliver's comment in reply. She had been tuning the siblings out so that she wasn't intruding on a private conversation, but when she heard the laughter she listened in for a moment, just long enough to hear Thea say that Oliver was scared of Felicity. That same smile was on her face when Laurel came around the top of the stairs.

"Hey." Sara said quietly to her sister, still not wanting to interrupt the conversation inside. However, when she saw the look on her sister's face her own smile faded as she could see that something was wrong. "What is it Laurel?" She asked her sister concernedly.

"Can I talk to Ollie?" Laurel asked quietly. She had been hanging out downstairs but her own thoughts had gotten the better of her and she could no longer wait to talk to Oliver.

"Now's not a good time." Sara explained carefully, not wanting to upset her sister further but also not willing to let her interrupt. "He's talking with Thea right now."

* * *

Inside the room Oliver and Thea were still laughing when Oliver heard voices at the door. When he heard Laurel asking to talk with him he realized that this day would not be over until he had a conversation with everyone.

"Sara." Oliver said just loud enough for her to hear. "Laurel can come in." Then he turned to Thea to explain since she looked confused. "I need to talk to Laurel for a bit."

"How in the world do you even know who is standing out there?" Thea asked confused and curious.

"My hearing has improved." Oliver offered in explanation, with a small smile.

"Do you want me to stay?" Thea asked, knowing that Laurel and Oliver had not been getting along very well recently.

"No, we'll be fine." Oliver said as he squeezed Thea's hand in reassurance before she turned to leave the room.

* * *

"Actually, it seems that he and Thea have just finished." Sara said with a smile, just as her sister had turned to walk away.

"What?" Laurel asked turning in surprise. "How do you know?"

"My hearing has improved." Sara offered the same explanation to her sister that Oliver had provided to his. "He said you can go in."

"Oh, okay." Laurel said quietly.

Sara could see that whatever Laurel wanted to talk to Oliver about was a heavy weight on Laurel's shoulders.  _I hope Oliver can help her work through whatever is bothering her, just as he has for everyone else._  Sara thought as the door to Oliver's room opened and Thea walked out. She caught a glimpse of Oliver, still sitting on his bed, through the open doorway and he gave her a small nod to let her know that he was still fine. She then closed the door quietly after Laurel went inside.

"How are you doing Thea?" Sara asked the younger Queen.

"I'm doing fine." Thea said with a hint of a smile. "Much better since we actually talked."

Sara was happy to hear that people were finally starting to talk about what had happened, seriously, and come to terms with it. She turned to again stand guard at the door and allow privacy for yet another conversation.

* * *

"Laurel?" Oliver asked quietly as that woman entered the room and Sara closed the door quietly behind her. He watched as she took a few tentative steps into the room before stopping and simply looking at him for a moment. He chose to keep silent, allow her to move at her own pace, in order to allow her to address exactly what it was that she needed to talk about.

"I'm sorry Ollie!" Laurel suddenly blurted out.

Oliver was taken slightly by surprise when Laurel apologized. He didn't know why or what she was apologizing for but he could see the pain in her eyes and chose to allow her time, yet again, to continue when she was ready. It took another two full minutes before she spoke again.

"When I heard that Sara went on the Gambit with you I was angry, angry and hurt that you would take her with you when you were dating me. I spent five years wishing that you had died a very slow and very painful death because you had not only taken my sister away with you when you left, but also it was because when she went with you that she had died. I was so hurt that you would choose someone else over me when we were together, we were supposed to move in together." Laurel couldn't help the tears that were welling up in her eyes as she confessed her feelings to Oliver. She slowly walked over and sat in the chair next to his bed before she continued.

"When you came back to Starling I felt hope for the first time. Hope that maybe my baby sister really was alive and would come home too. Then you admitted that you were the lone survivor from the Gambit and I suddenly found myself wishing that you had died on that stupid island. Somehow you had survived and come home and yet Sara was still lost to us. I hated you  _so much_! I accused you of being selfish, of not caring about others. I had no idea." Laurel took in a shaky breath and looked out Oliver's window. She was surprised that he hadn't said anything to her yet and found that his silence made it easier for her to get out everything that had been boiling under the surface for a very long time now. "I didn't realize what you had gone through. I didn't know that you had been tortured and I am so sorry! I realize now that  _I_  was being the selfish, inconsiderate one, not you. I didn't know that  _you_  were the one who was watching over the city, keeping the innocent safe. I should have thanked you then, but instead I lashed out with my words."

"Laurel." Oliver called her name softly as he reached out and placed a hand on hers. She finally tore her eyes away from where she was staring out the window. Laurel looked at him and he could again see the pain in her eyes and couldn't help but feel that he was the reason it was there. "You don't need to apologize to me for anything. I didn't tell you the truth, I acted like nothing had changed. I thought I was keeping you all safe, that was all I wanted to do. I wanted my friends and family safe and uninvolved in what I was doing and I did things that I should not have done. If anyone should be apologizing it's me."

"No Oliver." Laurel argued. "You  _were_  simply trying to protect us. I had no reason to pass any kind of judgment like that when I didn't even know what had happened to you. You deserved better than that."

They each sat in silence for a moment before Laurel continued.

"Why did you insist that you were alone on the island when you first came back?" Laurel asked him, noticing the quick flash of pain in his eyes before his mask was back in place. "You said you were alone and yet during the polygraph you finally admitted that you weren't. Did you really think we would see you as damaged?" Laurel couldn't understand why he wouldn't trust his closest friends and family with the truth. They could have helped him through it.

"What happened to me on the Island." Oliver started to explain slowly, after taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for just a moment to reign in his emotions again. "It wasn't something I wanted to share because yes, I did think everyone would think of me as damaged, and I'm not damaged. I may have been at one point but I am  _not_  damaged now. My experiences there made me stronger."

"I know that now Ollie." Laurel defended herself. She didn't want to argue right now, she just wanted to understand Oliver, who he had become and why.

"I didn't want to have to relive those experiences either." Oliver continued to explain to her. "I was tortured more times that I can count, was almost killed just as many times, I made friends and then saw them die right in front of me, and I had to find a way to survive for  _five years_  on an Island when I had never even been camping before." Oliver took a deep breath and swallowed the emotions that were threatening to spill over yet again. "Having to tell people about what I had to go through, Its like living it all over again and I  _couldn't_  do that over and over again."

"Oliver." Laurel said with a sob. "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry for what you had to go through, for the friends that you lost. I knew that you had been tortured, you told my dad and I that when you took the polygraph. I just didn't realize..." Her voice trailed off as she was then distracted by the tattoo on Oliver's chest, and then the scars that could be seen when he adjusted his position.

"All of your scars, your tattoos, are they from the island?" Laurel asked after a moment. Her curiosity was getting the best of her yet again.

"No." Oliver admitted quietly.

"Where did the rest of them come from then?" Laurel questioned. Her lawyer side showing yet again.

"Laurel." Oliver almost laughed at her. He would have thought that  _that_  would be one question she would already have figured out the answer to. "Being the Arrow isn't exactly a safe occupation."

"Oh..." Laurel whispered to herself as she remembered the many times that there were reports the Arrow had been injured, the blood that had been found at crime scenes where he had been, and then the multiple times she herself had witnessed him getting injured. After another minute or two of silence she spoke again.

"You know, it was the scars that told me you were the Arrow before I could ever see your face." Laurel admitted. "With Malcolm. When he started to take off your jacket I saw the scars and that's when I realized you were the Arrow. I can honestly say that I wasn't expecting it to be you." She thought back, again, to their time with Malcolm. "How were you able to keep so quiet when he was shooting and whipping you?" She finally asked a question that had been bothering her.

"Like I said before." Oliver started to explain. "I was tortured multiple times during my time away. As my pain tolerance went up I was able to control my reactions to it more easily. " He tried to keep it as simple as he could without having to go into detail as to how he had been able to do it.

"Okay, I get that." Laurel said. "But, how were you able to stay quiet, still, after the torture from Malcolm, obviously not getting the healing time that you needed before being tortured, brutally whipped, by Slade? I mean, he ripped your back to shreds and you  _never_  made a sound. Why and how did you do that?"

"Willpower." Oliver told Laurel as a sad smile crossed his face. "You dad was there, Thea and Roy were there, and I knew that Felicity and everyone in the Lair was watching. I knew that he not only wanted to cause me pain but he wanted to cause pain to everyone else too. I knew that if I let out any sounds of pain that it would, in a way, torture my Team, my friends, my family. I knew that I could  _not_  let that happen. You can't forget things like that easily and I didn't want you all to have to deal with that."

"You were still trying to protect us." Laurel stated, slightly in awe.

"I'm always trying to protect someone." Oliver said quietly.

"So it seems." There was one more question that Laurel had to ask before she could leave, and she knew it couldn't take much longer as she could see how exhausted Oliver was. "Ollie, why do you love Felicity?"

"What?" Oliver asked, taken by surprise at the question that Laurel had just asked.

"You love Felicity. I'm not blind or deaf and it's painfully obvious. I'm just curious as to why."

"Felicity..." Oliver paused for a moment and smiled as he decided how exactly to describe the woman that he loved. "She sees the good in me, the man I  _can_  be. She's seen me at my worst, my weakest, and she loves me still. She always believes in me and in the difference that I can make. She grounds me, keeps me sane when things hit the fan. She's smart, funny, beautiful, kind. She sees me for who I really am and still loves me."

"You're very lucky then." Laurel said as she gave him a smile and headed to the door. Just before she exited the room she turned to him for just a second more. "You deserve someone like her Ollie. She obviously loves you too!"


	45. Sparring

Roy punched the training dummy in the lair again and again. He had come here with Felicity so that she had someone to look out for her so she could do whatever it was that she was currently doing and Diggle had things at the Mansion to handle before he would come out and meet them. He was mad, confused, worried, and felt intense guilt at the moment and was trying to channel that into the punches aimed at the dummy in front of him instead of elsewhere.

"Be careful Roy." Felicity said when she noticed how hard he was punching the training dummy. "Don't hurt yourself."

"I'm fine Felicity!" Roy said with a bit more force than he intended. He then immediately felt bad as he could tell that he had hurt her with his tone of voice. "I'm sorry Felicity. I didn't mean to snap at you."  _ **  
**_

"It's okay Roy." Felicity tried to smile at the young man. "You've been through a lot and you're still adjusting to not having the Mirakuru anymore. You'll be okay!"

"She's right." Diggle said as he descended the stairs.

"Of course she is." Roy mumbled quietly to himself. "I don't really want to talk about it right now." He said louder to his Teammates as he turned back to the training dummy.

"Would you like to spar?" Diggle asked as he returned Felicity's slight smile and nod in his direction, letting him know that she agreed that it was a good idea. "I need a workout and sparring sounds like just the thing."

"Sure." Roy said as he continued to beat up the dummy. "Whatever."

Diggle stripped out of his shirt and met Roy on the mats. He could tell that something was bothering the younger man and he hoped that he would be able to help with whatever Roy was dealing with. They sparred relatively quietly with only a few grunts and groans for a few minutes before Diggle finally started the much needed conversation.

"How are you holding up Roy?" Diggle asked as he dodged a right hook.

"I'm fine." Roy responded as he dodged a kick from Diggle. "Why do people keep asking me how I'm doing? It's not like  _I_  was the one captured by Merlyn, injected with Vertigo, poisoned with curare, had an arrow shot through my shoulder, a bullet in my side, electrocuted, and whipped - twice. Nope.  _I_  was safe and sound back here at the lair with Sara.  _I_  was the one who was captured by Slade, knocked out while in his custody, cured of the Mirakuru in front of my girlfriend who didn't even know about it, and then dumped on the side of the road." Roy's voice was gaining volume and his attempts at hitting Diggle were getting more forceful as he let his anger out in his sparring.  _ **  
**_

"No, _I_  was simply the kid who was used to try and drive a wedge between Thea and Oliver. That's the only thing I'm good for, driving wedges between people.  **I'm useless!** " Roy was yelling by time he finished and was so distracted by his anger that Diggle had him in a headlock just as he finished ranting.

"Roy, you need to calm down for a minute." Diggle said calmly as he released the hold he had on Roy.

"How can I be calm?" Roy asked, his voice still raised. "I'm useless. I have  _no_  skills to bring to the Team anymore. I couldn't help you guys when Malcolm took you, Slade used me as bait to draw in Thea and Oliver so he could torture them, and now I don't even have the advantage of the strength from the Mirakuru!"

"That's not true Roy." Diggle said carefully, not wanting to add to Roy's anger. "You  _do_  have skills to bring to the Team."

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure the only reason Oliver let me on the Team in the first place was because I had been injected with the Mirakuru and he was afraid I was going to lose it and go on a rampage through the city!" Roy argued as he turned and stalked across the training mats.

"Oliver did start helping you so that you could learn to control the anger that the Mirakuru enhanced. But, as you trained with us you showed us that you had other skills as well, street skills that come in handy in a fight, knowledge of how to get information from people in the Glades, you have the contacts and know who to talk to. Not to mention how quickly you learn. Roy, you were helping the Team before you even knew who we were! True, you still can't beat Oliver or Sara during sparring, but I can't either." Diggle said with a bit of a laugh. He took slow steps towards his younger Teammate, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Felicity was carefully ignoring them, focusing instead on her work, so that they could talk in relative peace.  _ **  
**_

"You've learned how to fight better, smarter, how to shoot a bow and arrow, how to move silently during a mission, how to work with a Team!" Diggle explained to Roy. He was trying to help the kid see that he was an integral part of the Team. Team Arrow was only as good as its members, and Roy was one of those members. "Roy, when Merlyn abducted us all he was on a mission, to destroy everyone that helped stop the Undertaking. If you had been a part of the Team at the time then you would have been there as well."

"You don't get it Digg!" Roy practically yelled as he turned back to the older man. "When Merlyn abducted you I  _was_  a part of the Team and could do  _nothing!_  Sara and I were stuck here unable to do anything to help you while Merlyn took his time torturing  _all_  of you! How do you think that made us feel, how it made  _me_  feel?"

"Roy, what did you guys do while you were stuck here at the lair?" Diggle asked calmly.

"We tried to find clues, so we could come rescue you guys." Roy said, calming slightly. "But it was Sara that found the note, not me."

"Who stormed the warehouse to rescue us?"

"Sara and I, but..." Roy started before Diggle interrupted him.

"Who protected the rest while Sara, Oliver, and I fought Merlyn and his men?"

"I did." Roy said quietly as he hung his head. He could see where Diggle was going with this and wasn't sure if he agreed with him.  _ **  
**_

"You are _not_  useless Roy." Diggle told his partner quietly as he laid a gentle hand on Roy's shoulder.

"What about with Slade?" Roy asked as he took a step away from Diggle. "It's my fault that Thea was taken, I was supposed to be watching her, protecting her."

"You were outnumbered and overpowered by a man twice as big as you who had the Mirakuru in his system for five years longer than you and who was a highly trained member of ASIS even before the Mirakuru." Diggle said gently. "There was nothing that could have been done differently in that situation."

"If I hadn't been abducted then Thea wouldn't have been there, Slade would have had no leverage on Oliver to get him to give himself up." Roy argued, raising his voice again.

"That's not exactly true. Slade would have found another way to get what he wanted. I'm sure of that. Even if you and Thea hadn't have been there Slade would have lured Oliver in another way." Diggle explained.

"He used me, to hurt Thea, which in turn hurt Oliver. Thea didn't even know I had been injected with the Mirakuru until Slade cured me of it. How am I supposed to explain that to her? And, on top of that, how can Oliver ever forgive me for not doing anything to help while Slade  _tortured_  him, in front of Thea? I was  _right there_  and did  _nothing_!"

"Roy you  _couldn't_  do anything. Slade had you sedated and tied down. Even if you had been conscious Slade would have made sure that there was no way you could have helped." Diggle knew that Roy was struggling with guilt over not being able to do anything to help and decided it was time he admitted to something himself. "Roy, I know you feel guilty because you weren't there when Merlyn abducted us, as well as the fact that Slade made sure you weren't going to be able to do anything while in his custody. I know how it feels to see things happening to your Teammates and not being able to do anything about it."

"How?" Roy asked as he stepped closer to Diggle.  _How can he possibly know how it feels? He was there!_  Roy thought just as Diggle continued to explain.

"I know because I've been there before." Diggle said ccalmly yet allowing Roy to hear and see some of the emotions that he was feeling. "I had to listen over the comms at Christmas as Oliver fought Merlyn after releasing the hostages. I heard his grunts each time an arrow landed in is back, the sharp gasp of pain as he rolled out the window, hitting a dumpster, before landing hard on the ground. I had to listen as he called to me in pain, asking me to help him, just before passing out. There was nothing that I could do to help him as I was forced to listen."

Roy had never imagined that Diggle struggled with guilt as well. He had thought that he was the only one, no one had ever said anything about it. He listened quietly as Diggle continued.

"I also had to watch as he fought Merlyn on the rooftop of Merlyn Global on the night of the Undertaking. I had been badly shot so had no way of helping him. I watched as Merlyn had him in a headlock, making it almost impossible for Oliver to breathe. I could see Oliver fading as he struggled to find some way to defeat Merlyn. Then, Oliver stabbed himself in the shoulder in order to incapacitate Merlyn. The whole time I was sitting there, unable to do anything to help. It was only a short time later that we heard Oliver over the comms as he pulled up to CNRI to find Tommy, his best friend. Can you imagine what it felt like to listen to your partner, your friend, say goodbye to his best friend and be unable to do anything to help, be unable to be there for him?" Diggle could still remember, with vivid clarity, the sound of Oliver's chocked sobs as he held Tommy, watching his best friend die in his arms.

"Yes, you were here when Merlyn took us, but you were able and willing to help find and rescue us. Sara could  _not_  have done that on her own.  _I,_  however, was stuck in a cell right next to Oliver as he and everyone else was tortured. Imagine how  _I_  felt as I sat there, mere inches away from him, and not able to help. Then, I had to stand there and watch as he removed all of his trackers in preparation to meet Slade, hoping that you and Thea would be released. Then, coming back here to find that instead he had been abducted and then watch as you were knocked out and cured, Sara underwent water torture, Felicity was given a tattoo, and Oliver was whipped to the point where he passed out and his back looks like minced meat." Diggle hadn't meant for all of that to come out, or with as much emotion as it had. It appeared that he had been bottling up this guilt for a while and now just happened to be the time that it came out.  _ **  
**_

"I'm not telling you this so that you will feel more guilty, or so you will feel sorry for me." Diggle explained as he once again placed his hand on Roy's shoulder. "I'm telling you this so that you know that you are _not_  alone. We all suffer from guilt, you, me, Sara, Felicity, even Oliver. Hell he probably feels more guilt than anyone else! Guilt is a natural feeling Roy, you just can't let it take over and control you."

Roy nodded his head in understanding. He had been feeling like crap ever since Merlyn abducted the Team and it had just gotten worse throughout the whole situation with Slade. However, he didn't feel as bad knowing that everyone else struggled with it as well. He stood there for another moment before Diggle stepped away and grabbed the batons that they often used during their training.

"Come on, let's get back to work while we wait for Felicity." Diggle said as he tossed one to Roy who grabbed it and fell into a fighting stance.

Felicity watched as the guys went back to their sparring. She was happy that Diggle had been able to help Roy through his guilt.  _I never realized that John felt guilty too._  She thought as she watched the men.  _He's right, we all struggle with it. At least they were able to finally let off some steam and admit it._  She turned back to her computers and finished her work quickly. She had already been away from Oliver for too long in her opinion and was ready to get back to the mansion to see how he was doing.


	46. Walter Steele

Walter walked out of the study just as Laurel came down the stairs. He watched as the young woman stopped to talk to her father for a moment before leaving the house. As Lance turned around Walter could see how tired the other man was.

"Detective would you like a cup of coffee?" Walter asked. "I am about to get a cup of tea for myself and you look like you are in need of some coffee."

"Yeah." Lance said as he turned towards Walter. "Coffee would be great."

Walter and Lance walked back in to the study where Raisa joined them a few short minutes later with a tray of tea and coffee. Both men sat in silence for a few minutes before either of them spoke.

"He's going to be fine you know." Lance stated as he could see the worry in Walter's eyes. "He may not look like it, but he will be."

"Oliver's a strong young man." Walter agreed, however he was still unable to rid himself of the worry he had for the health of his step-son.

"You have no idea." Lance said as he nodded his head in agreement. "You've seen his scars right?"

"Yes, when we were in the custody of Malcolm Merlyn." Walter answered, staring at the cup of tea in his hands. "I can't even begin to fathom what he must have had to endure that would have caused such scars to begin with." He stated thoughtfully.

"I'm assuming they told you how much of his body was covered in scars when he got back." Lance stated questioningly. He assumed that Walter knew, however you could never be too sure with this family.

"Moira informed me that it was over twenty per cent of his body." Walter confirmed Lance's suspicions. "However, I never actually saw the scars until Merlyn cut his jacket off. They were truly appalling!" He said with a bit of disgust in his voice. It was evident that Walter still had not forgiven the man for everything that he had done to Walter's family.

"You  _really_  didn't like the man did you?" Lance asked with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"I detested the man." Walter replied. "He did nothing but drive a wedge into this family. I would be hard pressed to say that I'm not happy he's gone if I'm honest."

"Yeah, me too." Lance agreed with a hint of laughter still in his voice.

"Detective?"

"Yeah?" Lance could tell that something was bothering the other man as Walter clearly had an unasked question.

"Was it difficult?" Walter paused for a moment, trying to form the rest of the question properly before asking. "To endure the whip from Slade, and then again to watch him as he hurt Oliver?" He knew that it could not have been easy for the other man to be present during Oliver's whipping and was curious how it had affected the other man.

"When Slade whipped me it was with a really thick whip with knots all down it. It felt more like fists than anything." Lance explained. "The whip he used on Oliver was a lot finer and more vicious like the one Merlyn used. It caused lashes across his back, not bruising like the one he used on me."

"I remember the one Merlyn used. That one caused Oliver quite a bit of pain it seemed." Walter commented. "Yet, he still managed not to utter a sound. He is much stronger that I could be in that situation. Oliver proved that by his silence whilst he endured everything that Merlyn did to him."

"Yeah, well. If you think Merlyn was bad you should see what Slade did to him." Lance said ominously, his eyebrows raising for emphasis as he stood and placed his cup back on the tray. "Thank you for the coffee Walter. I think I'm going to head home and try and get some rest. Let the Team know they can call me if they need anything."

"I will Detective." Walter said as he walked Lance to the door. Once the other man had left and the door was closed behind him, Walter turned at looked up the stairs towards Oliver's room. He quickly decided to go see if he could talk to his step-son before Felicity and the rest of the Team returned. He knew that it would be more difficult to have the privacy that they needed once the Team was back.

* * *

Walter ascended the stairs and turned towards Oliver's room, noticing that Sara was standing outside, as if she was standing guard. He smiled as he approached her and she smiled in return.

"How are you Sara?" Walter asked as he approached the young woman.

"I'm fine Walter, thank you." Sara responded with a smile. "You need to talk to Oliver?"

"Is now a good time?" Walter asked. He didn't want to bother Oliver if he was busy, or sleeping.

Sara smiled. She had known that it would be just a matter of time before Walter found his way up here. She heard Oliver quietly say that Walter could come in so she turned and opened the door to allow him access. "Now's fine. Go on in."

"Thank you." Walter said as he passed her and entered Oliver's room.

"Come on in Walter." Oliver welcomed him with a small smile as he pointed to the chair next to his bed.

Walter sat slowly and faced Oliver, a bit unsure about what he needed to say or how to say it.

"How are you feeling Oliver?" Walter asked, deciding to start simply.

"I'm doing fine Walter." Oliver answered.

"Are you in pain?" Walter knew that Oliver had to be in pain if the number of bandages that covered his body was any indication.

"A bit." Oliver admitted. "My back mostly but it will heal."

"Oliver." Sara said quietly from the doorway. She hated to interrupt but she had seen some of bandages on his back needed changed as the wounds had bled through, again. "I'm sorry for interrupting but I was wondering if you would let me change your bandages while you talk."

Oliver took a moment to assess the situation and decided that even though Walter was in the room the bandages did indeed need to be changed. He knew that it may not be easy for his step-dad to watch as Sara worked, however he also knew that this may be just what Walter needed to allow him to open up and talk about whatever it was that was clearly bothering him.

"That's fine Sara." Oliver answered. As Sara entered the room and gathered the needed supplies Oliver pulled himself out of the bed, as quietly as possible but still unable to completely stifle a groan as he stood and moved to sit on the bench to allow Sara easier access to his back. Walter pulled the chair that he was sitting on over to Oliver's side.

"I never did have a chance to properly thank you Oliver." Walter said quietly as Sara started to slowly peel the bandages off Oliver's back.

"There's no need to thank me Walter." Oliver said as he worked to keep his pain from showing.

"Yes, there is Oliver." Walter took a moment to gather his thoughts. "You've saved my life on two separate occasions now and I have never able to tell you how thankful I am. When you rescued me from Merlyn I didn't know that it was actually you, that  _you_  were the Arrow. I just knew that  _someone_  had risked their life to fight their way through Merlyn's small army to free me from my cell. You saved my life and brought me back home. For that I will always be grateful."

"It wasn't me that found you Walter." Oliver said, unable to keep the huge smile from crossing his face. "It was Felicity."

"Really?" Walter asked, slightly surprised for a moment. "I will have to give her my thanks as well then." He paused for a moment as he watched Sara carefully pulling the bandages from Oliver's back. "I also wanted to thank you for stepping in with Malcolm. When he was using the tazer on me it felt as though he was trying to burn the flesh off of my body. I can't imagine how much the electrocution must have hurt for you. I am sorry that I found relief at your expense."

"Walter..." Oliver started to respond before he hissed quietly in pain. He paused for a moment to take a breath and get his pain levels under control again. "As I've already said, you don't have to apologize, or thank me."

"But Oliver, son. It's  _my_  fault you had to endure that." Walter argued.

"No." Oliver shook his head in disagreement. "Malcolm would have done that regardless of whether or not I volunteered. He was out to hurt me more than anyone and nothing you could have said or done would have stopped that."

"How were you able to keep silent?" Walter asked as he looked down at his hands after another moment with his thoughts. He clearly remembered how the briefest of touches from the tazer had elicited a loud scream of pain from himself. He had been in awe of Oliver's ability to keep silent when he was clearly experiencing far more pain than Walter himself had.

"Pain management." Oliver explained before pausing for a moment again as Sara worked a bandage off of a particularly bad patch on his back. "I also knew that if you all heard me in pain it would ultimately hurt you more. I knew that in order to help you I had control my reactions to what Malcolm was doing, which meant keeping silent."

Walter knew that what Oliver said was true. If Oliver had screamed in pain then they all would have worried more, been more upset, and Moira at least would have broken at the sound of her son in so much pain.

Walter looked up to see Sara cleaning the wounds on Oliver's back and found he was unable to tear his eyes away from the sight of his back. It was a full two minutes before either of them spoke again.

"Detective Lance said that Slade used the same type of whip as Merlyn did." Walter stated quietly.

"It was similar, yes." Oliver confirmed, curious as to where the conversation was headed now.

"Your back looks much worse this time around." Walter commented quietly as he watched Sara begin to redress Oliver's back. "I didn't realise that that much damage  _could_ be done."

"The whip was similar to the one that Malcolm used. However, Slade had more strength, he was uninterrupted, and his ultimate goal was to kill me." Oliver told Walter honestly.

"I am truly sorry Oliver. No one should have to endure what you have." Walter said as he looked to Oliver's eyes. He could have easily asked many other questions such as how many lashes did he receive at the hands of Slade, how did he manage not scream out in pain, or how was he managing to stay at home instead of going to a hospital. Instead he noticed the fatigue in Oliver's eyes and the pain that he was trying to hide. Instead of asking his questions he rose, placed a careful hand on Oliver's shoulder and smiled. "I'll let Sara tend to your injuries. Do not hesitate to let me know if there is anything at all I can do to help you."  _ **  
**_

"Thank you Walter." Oliver said, returning the smile. He was thankful that Walter didn't ask for more answers. He wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to stay alert as he could already feel his body starting to shut down again from his injuries. He watched as Walter walked out of the room and wondered if the conversation really had helped his step-dad.

* * *

As Walter left Oliver's room he heard the front door open and Roy, Felicity, and Diggle entered the mansion. He met the rest of Oliver's Team on the stairs as they were making their way up to see the young man.

"Walter." Felicity greeted him cheerfully, a smile on her face. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well Felicity, thank you." Walter said as he returned the smile.

"You coming from Oliver's room?" Felicity asked, she assumed that he was as she was pretty sure his room was on the other side of the mansion.

"Yes." Walter confirmed.

"How is he?" Felicity asked and Walter could hear the unmistakable concern in her voice.

"He is doing as well as can be expected. He is very tired and needs to rest though." Walter told Felicity. As he saw the worry in her expression he found himself wondering yet again just how close the two were.

"I'll go check on him." Felicity said as she turned to finish ascending the stairs.

"We'll go to the kitchen and grab a bite to eat." Diggle said as he steered Roy back down the stairs to give the couple privacy Walter assumed.

Walter followed the two men down the stairs and set out in search of Moira. After several minutes of searching he finally found her sitting on the bench in the garden, the one that sat next to Robert's tombstone. She looked towards him as she heard him approach.

"Moira?" Walter asked, he could see that she had been crying and was concerned.

"It's all my fault Walter." Moira said in response to his question. Walter sat next to her and took her hands in his and she held them tightly. "He said he doesn't blame me but how can he not?"

"Moira." Walter said as he held her hands tightly in his. "He does not blame you because it is not your fault. You need to stop blaming yourself as well."

"Yes, well it seems that is easier said than done." Moira said as she leaned her head on Walter's shoulder, thankful for his comforting presence. "Did you know that he watched as Robert shot himself?" She asked quietly.

"I was not aware of that, no." Walter answered, trying to hide his surprise.

"Oliver said that Robert did it so that he could survive."

"And he has Moira." Walter said as he turned to look at her again. "He has had to endure more in those five years than any one person should have to endure in a lifetime, but look at the man he has become because of it. Oliver is a man who will do anything to keep his family safe. He spends his nights roaming the city to ensure the safety of  _all_  those who live here, regardless of the cost to himself. He has made lasting friendships with people that he never would have given a second thought to before. The young Ollie Queen that left on the Gambit, the boy who would drink and party all night, is gone. Instead there is a strong, powerful, intelligent, and kind man in his place."

"I think Robert would be proud." Moira said softly as she gazed at the nearby tombstone.

"I believe you are right." Walter agreed. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Moira spoke again.

"I keep asking how he is and Mr. Diggle is answering, however I feel as though he is keeping something from me." Moira confided in Walter. "I just wish I knew what my boy had to go through at the hands of Slade."

"Moira." Walter said, gaining her attention again. "I've just come from speaking with Oliver. Sara was changing the bandages on his back whilst we spoke."

"How bad is it?" Moira asked, hoping that finally she would know how her son truly was.

"It is quite gruesome." Walter admitted, deciding on complete honesty. "His back is covered in lacerations from the whip that Slade used, far worse than it was from Merlyn. There are numerous cuts the full width of his back. Some of them have been stitched which indicates that they must be deep. He is exhausted, but I think he will get some much needed rest now that Felicity has returned."

"My poor boy!" Moira said with a sob as she imagined what her son's back looked like and how much pain he had to be in. "Is he in a lot of pain?" She asked.

"He is in pain, yes. However, not nearly as much as one would expect with his injuries. It would seem that he has found a way to overcome the pain."

"He has been through so much! Will he ever have a chance to live a happy, peaceful life?" Moira wondered out loud.

"Oliver is strong Moira. He  _will_  pull through this and, just as his experiences on the island have made him stronger, so will this." Walter told her, completely convinced that Oliver would indeed be fine.  _I also strongly_ _suspect that a certain blonde IT expert will assist him_. He thought as he remembered the looks of love in the eyes of both Oliver and Felicity as they had looked at each other.

"My beautiful boy has grown up into a very handsome, strong man." Moira said quietly. She then stood and walked over to Robert's gravestone. She placed a hand gently on top of it and closed her eyes.

"You would be so proud of him Robert!"


	47. Home Improvements

Felicity quickly made her way up the stairs and turned towards Oliver's room. As she came closer she could see that the door was slightly ajar and she paused just outside as she heard Oliver and Sara talking.

"Oliver, you really need to get some rest." Sara said with a hint of concern. "Slade really did a number on you and your body isn't going to heal if you don't get the rest you need."

"I know Sara." Oliver agreed quietly, almost too quietly for Felicity to hear. Felicity leaned in a bit closer, peeking through the slightly open door to catch sight of Oliver turning to Sara as he continued. "But I can't just let my family, my friends, my Team suffer when there is something that I can do to help."

"I agree, everyone needs to be able to talk through everything. But Oliver, how much pain are you actually in?" Sara asked, her tone of voice making it clear that Oliver had better be honest with her or he would regret it.

Oliver paused for a moment and looked away from Sara's glare, clearly trying to decide whether or not he wanted to be honest with her but Felicity knew from experience that Sara would see through any lie he came up with anyway so he was better off telling the truth right off the bat.

"A lot." Oliver whispered, apparently understanding that Sara was going to get the truth out of him regardless. "I shouldn't be moving around so much. It's pulling at the stitches and I can't get my muscles to relax regardless of how hard I try."

"How are these?" Sara asked as Felicity watched her move to check the wounds on Oliver's chest.

"They still hurt too, especially this one." Oliver said as he pointed to a wound on his torso. Felicity could only guess, based on her knowledge of his scars and the wounds that Slade recreated on Oliver, that he was pointing to where Slade had slid his blade into Oliver's chest between two of his ribs.

"Yeah, and it's going to keep hurting for a while. At least it's not infected." Sara said as she changed the rest of his bandages. "I'm assuming you still don't want any pain killers?" Sara asked and Felicity almost couldn't stop from laughing as she knew full well that Oliver would deny them. She was not disappointed.

"Just some tea." Oliver said simply, obviously referring to tea made from his Island herbs.

"I'll go get you some." Sara said as she turned to clean up the medical supplies before leaving the room. Felicity backed up out of the doorway so she couldn't be seen from inside and waited for Sara. "Hey Felicity." Sara said quietly to her once she was in the hallway.

"Hi Sara." Felicity replied quietly, the concern evident in her voice and the way that she stood, uncertain.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sara asked. She had seen the look of concern on the blonde's face and the tears welling up in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Oliver." Felicity stated simply, wiping away a tear that had started to run down her face.

"He's going to be fine you know." Sara tried to give her friend an encouraging smile. "And I don't mean  _his_  definition of fine either. I mean he's  _really_  going to be okay."

"I know you're right. I just can't help but worry you know. I mean I  _saw_  what happened and..." Felicity couldn't help the sob that escaped just as Sara interrupted her.

"Felicity, I know that having to watch that was  _not_  easy. After all I was there too. But Oliver is strong, his body is strong, and he is a fighter. He  _will_  get through this because he has something to fight  _for_ ,  _someone_  to fight for." Sara reached out and pulled Felicity into a tight hug. She knew that her friend had had to see a lot the last few days and that she would have to work through her thoughts and feelings on the matter. However she knew that for right this moment it was more important for her to have something to do. "Look, Oliver's having a hard time relaxing so his body can rest. Do you think you can help him out with that?"

Felicity gave a small nod, thankful that Sara had found something for her to do. She wiped the remainder of her tears from her face and took a deep breath.

"Okay, you find a way to help him get some rest. I'm going to go grab him some tea real quick then leave you guys alone for a while." Sara said as she started to walk towards the top of the stairs. She stopped abruptly after two steps and turned to see Felicity staring at her with wide eyes and a hand over her mouth as she tried to stifle the laughter that was about to escape. "Yeah, I did  _not_  mean it like that Felicity!" Sara cried as Felicity could no longer hold in the laughter. "I think you're rubbing off on me. Too much time at the lair." Sara mumbled as she turned and quickly walked away, leaving Felicity to deal with Oliver.

* * *

Felicity was still laughing as she walked into Oliver's room and he turned to look at her with a huge smile of his own. It was when his eyes met hers, and she could see the concern there, that she remembered just how good his hearing was and that he probably had heard every word that she and Sara had said. However, instead of addressing the issue she simple walked to where he still sat on the bench, leaned down, and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

Oliver reached up and gently held her face as they kissed, holding her close and drawing the kiss out a bit longer than she may have intended. Finally he pulled back just enough to touch his forehead to hers. He closed his eyes and simply relished the feeling of having her close to him again.

"I love you Felicity." Oliver whispered. He could feel her lips draw into a wide smile.

"I love you too Oliver." Felicity still could not believe just how much she loved this man. She hoped that they would have a very long life to enjoy their love for one another. "Come on, you need to lay down and get some rest."

Oliver reluctantly allowed Felicity to pull away and took her hand when she offered it. He slowly stood stifling another moan of pain, although not completely succeeding. He stood for a moment with Felicity's hand on his arm to steady him until he was ready to move again. They took slow steps to the bed where she helped him gently lower himself to a sitting position. He again took another moment to take a deep breath and pull his pain levels under control again. It was as he was sitting there that Sara returned.

"Here's your tea Oliver." Sara said as she handed Oliver the steaming cup. Thankfully Raisa had been able to make quick work of brewing the tea so that Oliver would be able to get the rest that he needed faster. She turned to address Felicity. "The Team is all here so if you guys need anything all you have to do is yell. We'll come up in a couple of hours and bring lunch."

"Thank you Sara, and tell the guys thanks too, for being here." Felicity said with a smile. She could tell the pain was slowly starting to ease a bit for Oliver thanks to the herbal tea and was incredibly thankful to Sara for getting it for him.

Sara gave them each a small smile before leaving the room and closing the door quietly behind her.

"Are you ready to lay down Oliver?" Felicity asked, noting that the teacup was now empty.

"Yes." Oliver replied simply before slowly settling himself on his side on the bed and closing his eyes. He had been trying to keep his pain levels under control all day and that combined with his injuries themselves had drained him of any and all strength that he had. He was exhausted. He felt the bed shift slightly and knew Felicity had come to sit behind him.

Felicity sat with her shoulder leaning up against the headboard facing Oliver. He had immediately closed his eyes as soon as he had laid down, however, she could still see the tension in his shoulders. She reached out and gently started to run her hands through his hair. She had discovered that this calmed him and helped him to relax and she hoped that it would work yet again. It was only a few moment later when she heard his breathing even out and she hoped that he would be able to get a few hours of sleep without being plagued by nightmares. **  
**

* * *

Team Arrow assembled around the bar in the kitchen. Roy, Sara, and Diggle were thankful that Oliver would finally get some peace and quiet, allowing him the rest that he desperately needed. They all sat in silence, each enjoying the fact that they were not needed anywhere to break up a gang of weapons dealers, or hunting master assassins, or stopping the city from being destroyed. No one had been abducted, no one had gone missing, and all the injuries that the Team had acquired had already been tended to. They could simply be.

It was a while later that Moira and Walter entered the kitchen, hand in hand.

"I was hoping I would find you all here." Moira said with a smile. "I have something I was hoping you would all be able to help me with."

 _So much for peace and quiet_. Roy thought as the Team looked up at the couple.

"Not to worry." Walter quickly added after seeing the look of irritation on Roy's face. He knew the Team was enjoying the quiet and had not been too thrilled about that being interrupted. He hoped that this would help them unwind without being too demanding. "It's just a simple household project."

"Of course Moira." Sara said, giving her a smile. "What can we help with?"

"Well, I finally decided how to finish the basement." Moira explained. "It's been sitting empty for several years as we had started a renovation, however we never finished it."

"We were hoping you would assist us with the project." Walter finished. "We would be happy to show you the plan if you would like to walk with us."

The Team stood, exchanging questioning looks as they followed Walter and Moira to the basement. When they finished descending the stairs they found Thea standing next to several pieces of equipment.

"We took what we knew about what you had in the lair and did some shopping." Thea explained. "We were hoping you would help us set it up." She said with a smile as she walked over and wrapped her arms around Roy.

"Why?" Roy asked them, clearly unsure as to why that had gone to the trouble.

"We figured that Oliver would need to stay here for a while until he heals. This will allow you all to stay here and keep up with your training and workouts." Thea said as she looked to the Team.

"Besides, we've been meaning to put in a home gym for years."


	48. Team Meeting

Sara, Roy, and Diggle finally finished setting up the gym. They had been surprised by the fact that Moira, Walter, and Thea had gone through the trouble of getting the equipment, however, they also knew that having a gym here at the mansion would be helpful in the future. Of course they would still spend most of their time at the Lair, but this gave them a place to go here if and when one of them was hurt and needing to spend time at the Mansion to recover.

They went back up to the kitchen where they saw Raisa dishing up nice servings of hot soup and sandwiches and placing them on a couple of trays.

"I thought Mr. Oliver would want lunch in his room today with his friends." Raisa explained as she placed the last of the bowls on a tray. She knew that Oliver was hurt and that he would be better off resting in his room for a while.

"Thank you Raisa." Moira thanked her. She turned to the address the Team. "Would you all like to take these upstairs and check on Oliver and Felicity?"

Diggle couldn't help but smile. "Of course." He answered for the whole Team. He had known when he walked in and saw the food on the trays that the plan was for them to take them upstairs and check on Oliver while they had lunch and he was thankful to Moira and Raisa for their consideration.

Roy and Diggle each picked up a tray of food and the trio made their way up the stairs to Oliver's room. Sara knocked quietly, trying not to wake Oliver if he was still sleeping. She was not surprised, however, when she immediately received a response from inside.

"Come on in guys." Felicity called from inside.

Sara opened the door and the Team saw Oliver and Felicity both leaning against the headboard of Oliver's bed, holding hands, and smiling like little kids with their hands in the cookie jar.

"Felicity?!" Sara said with mock disgust. "I told you to help him relax but not  _that_  way!" She said with a laugh at the sight of the blush creeping up on Felicity's face.

"Wait! What?" Roy asked, his confusion evident in his voice and on his face. He quickly placed the tray of food he was holding on the desk and turned to face Oliver and Felicity. "Blondie, is there something I'm missing here?" He asked as he crossed his arms. He heard Diggle laughing as he placed his tray of food on the desk as well.

"Nothing!" Felicity was quick to respond, not missing the quiet laughs from Oliver next to her. "You missed nothing. There was nothing to miss. Inside joke. Yeah, that's what it was..."

"Felicity." Oliver said quietly, drawing her attention and stopping her rambling mid sentence. She looked to him and her blush deepened as she remembered that he probably heard the conversation between her and Sara. "I think the Team brought us lunch." He commented, effectively changing the subject much to her relief.

"It smells delicious and I'm starving." Sara commented as she brought over one of the trays of food and sat down next to Oliver's bed. Roy and Diggle brought up chairs and they passed out the soup and sandwiches, ready to dig in to the food that Raisa had provided for them. They all sat and enjoyed easy conversation while everyone ate their food.

It was as they were finishing their food that Oliver decided it was time to finally address his Team. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths as he searched for the right words to explain what he was thinking and feeling. He had been avoiding this conversation since the incident with Merlyn and knew that he couldn't put it off any longer.

"I want to sinceriously thank you guys." Oliver said as he looked to each of his Team. "You all have stuck by me, even when things went really bad. You all saved my life, yet again, despite what could have happened to yourselves. Each one of you has been there for me, helped me, fought with me through so many missions and I  _know_ that it's not easy. I just want you guys to know how much I appreciate you. You're my family now too and I don't want anything to change that." The Team all looked back at him with expressions that told him that they would always be there to fight beside him, no matter the mission. After a moment of silent conversation Oliver continued.

"We've all been through a lot the last few weeks and I don't know what I would have done without you guys. When Malcolm held us I didn't know how we were going to get out of there. I just kept hoping that you guys would find a clue." Oliver confessed as he looked to Roy and Sara. "If you guys hadn't have shown up when you did..." Oliver swallowed down some of his emotions, not wanting to lose control at the moment.

"You know, we would have been there sooner if you hadn't hidden that clue." Sara teased him, attempting to lighten the mood. "That note was pretty hard to find."

"Yeah, what did you do? Throw it across the room?" Roy asked, remembering where they had finally found the note with the coordinates on it.

"Um, yeah." Oliver said a little sheepishly. "I was pissed and not thinking that you guys would need it at the time. I just knew that part of my Team, my family, and my friends were in trouble and it was my fault. Thank you for coming for us! Sara we couldn't have beaten Malcolm without you." Oliver said as he looked to Sara. She gave him a small nod in response before he turned his gaze to Roy.

"Roy, what you did in that warehouse, standing in front of Felicity, Laurel, my mom, and Lance, that was a really smart decision. I know I haven't said this yet so Thank You! Thank you for coming after us, for protecting everyone, and for all your support. We couldn't have done it without you either!"

"Oliver's right." Diggle said with a smile, hoping that Roy would see that he really  _was_  an important part of the Team. "We were all busy fighting Merlyn's men, if you hadn't have protected them then they could have been hurt."

Roy listened to what they were telling him. He could see that they were sincere due to the looks on their faces. He realized then that maybe he was actually capable of doing something right. He gave a small smile and nodded letting the Team know that he appreciated the support and encouragement.

"Listen. The whole thing with Slade. I owe you all an apology." Oliver continued after a moment. He looked down at his hands, unable to meet the eyes of his Teammates with his next confession. "It's my fault that he came to Starling City. If it weren't for me, for a decision that  _I_  made, then none of us would have been in this last situation. I'm sorry for getting you guys pulled into that." He felt incredibly guilty for being the reason his Team was pulled into the situations that they had been. If it wasn't for him things would not have happened as they had.

"I know I don't go out in the field... much." Felicity spoke before anyone else could form a response to Oliver's words. "But I do know what it's like to have to hear and see what's going on and not being able to do much about it. There are times where I feel like I could have done  _something_  better than I did in order to get everyone back to the lair safely and without getting hurt. However, there are times that despite my best efforts someone does get hurt, or something goes wrong. As hard as it is to remember or accept this, there are times when there is literally _nothing_  that I can do to change things. Sometimes stuff happens and you just do the best that you can with what you have, you do what you have to in order to get through it, to survive."

Felicity turned to Oliver and locked eyes with him as she continued. "I don't know exactly what happened between you and Slade before, and I don't have to know. I do know this though. You did everything that you could. You can't keep feeling guilty for something that was out of your control. You did the best that you could with the circumstances that you were in. You couldn't see the future and there was no way for you to know that this would or even could happen. You don't have to apologize to us. We will  _always_  have your back. We're a Team and we all look out for each other. No matter what comes along."

The Team all looked at Felicity in silence. They knew that what she had said was true. They all struggled with feelings of guilt over things that they shouldn't. Each member of the Team decided to remember to always simply do the best that they could and look out for each other. The rest, well, that would all fall in to place eventually.

"Jeez blondie, when did you get so smart?" Roy asked, teasing Felicity and lightening the mood in the room once again. The rest of the Team all laughed at the glare that Felicity directed at Roy.

"Roy, you  _know_  I've always been a genius!"


	49. Felicity Meghan Smoak

The Team enjoyed the teasing that came so easily. It was how they managed to keep the events of their night life, their missions, from taking over and plunging them all into darkness. This time was no different. They all sat and relished the happiness and camaraderie that they all shared, despite recent events. It was only after another half hour of talking and laughing that the Team realized that Oliver needed rest, and he wasn't the only one.

"Felicity?" Diggle turned to his friend, suddenly serious again. "How long has it been since you've gotten some sleep?" He asked as he could see the lack of sleep evident in the shadows under her eyes and in the way she was leaning, exhausted, against the headboard, much as Oliver was doing again.

"Um..." Felicity thought carefully. She was afraid of what everyone was going to say when she admitted just how long it had been. "Well the last time I remember sleeping at all was the night before Lance went missing." She finally admitted. She knew that there was no way she would be able to keep the truth from the Team.  _They are like human lie detectors._  She thought to herself as she saw the looks of worry on the Team's faces.

"You both need some serious sleep." Sara said as she rose and placed the dirty dishes on the trays. "We'll get out of here so you two can rest."

Diggle and Roy stood as well and Diggle stepped over to check Oliver's bandages once more before he left them alone for the night.

"We're going to need more supplies." Diggle said quietly, mostly to himself, as he finished redressing the wounds on Oliver's back and chest.

"They should be in tomorrow." Felicity stated tiredly from her place next to Oliver.

"What do you mean tomorrow?" Roy asked the blonde, a look of confusion on his face.

"What?" Felicity said in mock offense. "I wasn't playing Solitaire at the Lair you know."

"That's why you went." Oliver said quietly, finally understanding why she had had to leave him, if only for a short amount of time.

"Yep." Felicity said with a smile, ending the word with a pop. "That's not all I did either." She was clearly pleased with herself at that declaration. "In case you all were wondering, the Queen and Lance families were on a joint vacation on the Queen's private yacht in the Bahamas for the last several weeks. There are pictures leaked to the tabloids and everything."

Felicity was so exhausted that she busted up laughing at the looks of shock on her three Teammates' faces. It was a good three minutes before she could breathe fully again. Once she had stopped laughing she wiped the tears from her face and took a deep breath.

"Are you okay Felicity?" Sara asked as the other blonde worked to bring her breathing back to normal.

"Yeah. I just couldn't help it. You should have seen the looks on your faces!" Felicity answered before grabbing a drink of water. "You guys forget. That's part of my job on the Team. After all, you  _all_  have horrible luck with cover stories!"

"Felicity..." Diggle said, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "You. Are. Remarkable." He said with a huge smile.

"Hey!" Oliver said with a mock glare directed at Diggle. "That's my line!"

The Team laughed again. It felt so good to be able to laugh once more instead of worrying if they were going to survive the next hour.

"Come on guys. Let's go." Sara said as she handed one of the trays of dishes to Roy before turning back to the couple. "You two get some sleep. We'll find beds here at the mansion tonight in case you need us." She then followed Roy and Diggle out before quietly closing the door behind her.

"Do you think they will actually sleep?" Roy asked as they walked down the stairs.

"I don't think they'll have a choice." Sara said thoughtfully. "They're going to pass out from exhaustion soon. Besides, Oliver's injuries won't heal if he doesn't get some sleep."

* * *

"I should go find somewhere to sleep." Felicity said quietly as she started to get off Oliver's bed.

"Why? This bed's big enough that we can both sleep here and not bother each other." Oliver said as he reached for her hand. "Besides, I sleep better when you're with me." He admitted quietly. He was afraid he would have nightmares again if she didn't stay and he most certainly didn't want his family and friends to hear him suffering from one if he could help it.

"Are you sure?" Felicity asked cautiously. She was afraid that Oliver would change his mind, however she wasn't sure she  _could_  make herself move much more right now even if she wanted to. Besides, she would feel better sleeping beside him, safer.

"I'm sure." Oliver said, giving her a sincere smile.

"Okay, let me go freshen up in your bathroom then I'm going to sleep." Felicity told him as she walked to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her hair.  _Thank goodness some of my stuff was still here from the last time._ She thought to herself, happy to find a few of her things had been brought to Oliver's bathroom. She didn't know who had done it, but was extremely thankful. Once finished she went back to the bedroom and helped Oliver up so he could do what he needed to in the bathroom while she changed. Once they both were done freshening up they laid down in the bed and Felicity rubbed Oliver's head to relax him until his breathing evened out and he was asleep again. It was only a few minutes later that Felicity fell asleep herself. Then the dreams started...

 _Felicity sat, transfixed on the screen in front of her. Her heart had dropped when she heard that Oliver had removed all his trackers as that was the only way that she could keep track of him. When he appeared on the screen in front of her she felt as though she was going to be sick because she knew what Slade had in store for Oliver. Slade had been sure to thoroughly explain_ exactly _what he intended to do to Oliver as payback for the death of Shado._

_She watched, unable to look away from the screen, as Slade walked in with the whip at his side. Despite the detail that Slade had given her in his description of what he was going to do, there was nothing that could have prepared her for what really happened next. She could feel her dread growing as Slade walked up to Oliver and punched him in the jaw. She felt a brief flash of pain in her own jaw as she heard the crack of Slade's knuckles making contact with Oliver's face. Felicity held her breath as Oliver pinned Slade with a glare hoping that this wouldn't cause Oliver more pain._

_When Slade mentioned that he had told her what was going to happen Felicity could feel both Sara and Laurel both look at her, wondering what she had been told. When she was asked about it she told the truth, at least the part of the truth that pertained to the issue at hand. She knew that Slade was going to whip Oliver until he passed out. She simply hoped that that would end up being sooner rather than later. Moments later she flinched again as she watched Slade hit Oliver in the side with the cane handle of the whip, knowing that it would cause Oliver quite a large amount of pain and leave him with a very ugly bruise._

_Slade then moved to stand behind Oliver and Felicity gripped the armrests on her chair as she awaited what she knew was coming next. She held her breath as she watched Slade pull the whip back. He paused, for just a moment, before then swinging his arm forward quickly causing the whip to make contact with Oliver's back with a resounding crack. Felicity could have sworn that she heard the flesh on Oliver's back ripping apart as the whip made contact. The effect of the first lash was instantaneous. She could immediately see blood dripping down Oliver's back from where the whip tore open his flesh and the infinitesimal look of pain that crossed his face for only a moment. She couldn't help the cry that escaped at the sight. She knew that she would forever remember the look of Oliver's back, still healing from the effects of the whip lashes from Malcolm Merlyn, as Slade repeatedly inflicted more pain and cut open Oliver's back more with each lash from the whip. It only took a few lashes before Oliver's back was half red and half blue, blood dripping from each cut. It was only due to the cool rag that Laurel had given her that she didn't lose the contents of her stomach at the sight._

_There were no words to describe the relief that Felicity felt when Slade stopped after only ten lashes. Oliver's back had ten fresh, deep cuts due to the lashes, and she could see the hint of pain in his face. However, he had somehow managed to remain silent during the whole ordeal and she couldn't have been prouder. It was at that moment that she heard Diggle return, however she refused to turn her eyes away from the man that she loved. She noted, as Slade talked to Oliver, that there was blood dripping from the end of Slade's whip, Oliver's blood. The thought churned her stomach yet again and she had to swallow several times to keep from having to make a dash to the toilet to vomit._

_Her shakes started when Slade moved back around Oliver to begin the torture again. She could see the effort that it took for Oliver to keep silent, the amount of pain he was in due to the look on his face that most others would not have even noticed, the amount of blood that he was losing as it dripped off the end of the whip and splattered around the room as Slade pulled the whip back for another lash, and the puddle of blood that was collecting under Oliver's boots. Her body shook with rage, and fear, and with the attempt to keep the nausea at bay. This time, however, the lashes didn't stop. Slade kept going, the whip landing deep in Oliver's flesh, ripping it open, time, after time, after time. She realized that Slade really was going to kill Oliver with that whip._

_Felicity sat in her desk chair, staring at Oliver's face on the screen, willing him to hold on. She almost jumped in her chair when she heard Oliver's voice calling out to her. "Felicity! Felicity, please, help me! Why can't you find me? Felicity, I_ need _you!" Oliver called to her over, and over again. Begging her to do something,_ anything _to find him and free him from this man who was once his friend._

Felicity woke suddenly to the sounds of Oliver calling her name. She was drenched in sweat and had tears running down her face. She had tried everything that she could think of to find Oliver and help to free him and it wasn't enough. Slade had whipped Oliver until there was no life left in the man that she loved. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and she spun her head around to see Oliver sitting on the bed next to her, concern clear on his face.

"Felicity?" Oliver asked tentatively. It was clear that she had been in the middle of a nightmare when he awoke to find her tossing and turning in the bed next to him. Her cries caused his breath to quicken and his heart to race.  _It must be something truly horrible for her to cry out like that._  He thought as he started to call her name. He had to call to her several times before she finally awoke and the look on her face at that moment broke his heart. When she turned to look at him he finally realized why she had reacted as she had. "Felicity, look at me. I'm fine. I'm alive and sitting right next to you. We are safe and Slade can't hurt me anymore."

"Oliver!" Felicity cried as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close to her.

"Shhh." Oliver whispered quietly into her hair as he rubbed her back trying to calm her. "It was just a nightmare."

"I dreamed that he killed you. That he whipped you until you bled out from the cuts on your back." Felicity cried into his chest. "He was whipping you and you were calling out to me. Asking why I hadn't found you, saved you yet."

"It's okay Felicity." Oliver continued to talk to her quietly. "I'm okay. You did everything that you could to find me, and you know what..." Oliver leaned back, pulling her away from him so that he could look in her eyes, to try to make her understand. "You are still the one who saved me."

Felicity shook her head in argument. She hadn't done  _anything_  to save him. He still had cuts all across his back. It had been so bad in places that the flesh had hung off his back where some of the lashes had crossed. They had had to put in several stitches to simply hold the skin of his back together. No, she hadn't saved him from anything.

Oliver could see Felicity was arguing with him, even if it was silently this time. "Felicity, if you hadn't gotten out, found the cure, then Slade would have killed me. But you did it. You found his lab, you told the Team where we were, you found his cure and injected him with it. If it wasn't for  _you_ , and  _your_  remarkable skills, I would  _still_  be hanging there, dead. But I'm not! I'm right here, holding you, because of  _you._  I owe you my life Felicity, again."

Felicity looked down to where Oliver was holding her hands. She guessed that he was right, in a way. She had found the cure and injected Slade with it. However, she had  _not_  been able to keep Slade from slicing open Oliver's back with the whip. She started to cry again as Oliver pulled her in for another hug.

Oliver simply held Felicity for several minutes. During this time the door to his room opened just a crack and Sara peeked her head in. She had obviously heard Felicity crying out. "Nightmare?" Sara asked in barely a whisper, only loud enough for Oliver to hear her. He nodded his head and noted the look of concern on his Teammate's face. Sara nodded her head before silently closing the door behind her, leaving him to comfort  _his girl_.

"Felicity." Oliver whispered her name quietly after several more minutes.

"Hmmm." Felicity replied after she finally had managed to stop the tears. She still sat with her head resting on Oliver's chest, listening to the beat of his heart. It was one more reassurance that he was indeed still alive.

"I'm sorry that you had to watch that and I wish there was a way that I could erase those images from your mind." Oliver said to her quietly. "But I am  _not_  going anywhere. Do you want to know why?"

Felicity looked up to Oliver's eyes at his declaration. She was curious what he was going to say and couldn't miss the grin on his face. "No Oliver, tell me why." She stated simply.

"Because I love you." Oliver said, the grin growing on his face. "And because you're too stubborn to let me die." He couldn't help the laugh that escaped as she punched him in the arm. Apparently she didn't like being called stubborn. He pulled her in for a gentle kiss and when they finally pulled away he noticed a small smile on her face as well.

"I love you too Oliver." Felicity told Oliver, all her emotions and the depth of her love for him evident in the way that she said the words so softly. Suddenly her look of love morphed into a look of pure evil, including a wicked grin that graced her beautiful face.

"And if you  _ever_  scare me like that again... I will kill you myself!"


	50. Closure

Moira woke again at about five in the morning. She had been unable to sleep well due to the fact that she knew her son was seriously injured and her imagination was giving her images of what his injuries could look like. She had seen his scars, thought she knew what the new cuts would look like in five years after he had completely healed. However, she was  _not_  sure of exactly how his back looked, just how bad it was, or how much pain Oliver was really in. She knew what he had looked like after Malcolm had whipped him just a few times, her heart sank at the thought of how much worse it was after Slade and she didn't even know how many times he had been whipped this time, just what Walter had said about it being pretty gruesome. Oliver had downplayed the pain in order to not worry his friends and family, however, she knew that they had to stop with the secrets between them if they were to rebuild their relationship. At this realization Moira rose and dressed for the day, before then heading out to check on everyone who was staying at the mansion, and to find out for herself just how bad Oliver's injuries really were.

As Moira walked down the hallway she noted that Diggle and Sara were both standing outside Oliver's room.  _They look like they are standing guard._  She thought as she recognized Diggle's stance as one he often took when out with the family.  _I'm glad they are able to watch out for him, but what could he need protecting from here?_

 _"_ Good morning Mrs. Queen." Sara said as she saw Oliver's mom walking towards them. She had just been telling Diggle how the evening had gone, including Felicity's nightmare and Oliver's comforting of her, when Moira rounded the corner. "Is everything okay?" She asked, noting the look of slight confusion on Moira's face.

"I believe so." Moira said as she came to stand near the other two. "Why are you standing guard? Is the mansion not protected well enough?" She finally asked.

"The mansion is perfectly safe." Diggle explained with an encouraging smile. "We just know that Oliver rarely gets the rest that he needs and so we are making sure Felicity and he are not disturbed as long as they are resting."

Moira nodded her head in understanding. She had seen firsthand how tired Oliver could get, as well as how stubborn he could be in getting the needed rest. She knew that if his injuries were half as bad as Walter said then he would need all the rest he could get. She found she was suddenly extremely thankful for the Team that constantly looked out for Oliver.

It was as Diggle finished his explanation for his and Sara's presence outside Oliver's door that he saw Roy ascending the stairs with a bag that could only be the medical supplies that they had been waiting for.  _It's about time. I didn't even have enough left to re-bandage_ _his back._

"Thought you would want this stuff ASAP so I went and picked it up." Roy offered in explanation as he handed the bag of medical supplies to Diggle. "Thankfully it was all there and waiting. I'll go back later and organize the rest of the supplies."

"Thanks Roy." Diggle thanked his younger Teammate with complete sincerity as he took the bag from the younger man. Diggle took a few short moments to decide whether or not he was going to knock on Oliver's door to see if he was awake, however, before he came to a decision the door opened and Felicity emerged. She still looked tired and as though she hadn't rested well, however, she did not look as tired as she had the night before and Diggle, Sara, and Roy were all thankful that she had been able to get a little bit of sleep.

"Good morning everyone." Felicity said a bit startled. She had expected to see either Diggle or Sara, or maybe even both, outside Oliver's door, but she had  _not_  expected to see Moira or Roy as well at this early hour. As she offered them all a small smile she noticed the bag of supplies in Diggle's hands and smiled knowing the bag must contain the medical supplies that she had rush ordered. "You can go in John. He's awake." She told her Teammate, knowing he needed to check on Oliver.

"May I join you?" Moira asked tentatively. She needed to see for herself how bad Oliver's injuries were, and yet was afraid that they would not let her in to see her son. She noticed Diggle glance into Oliver's room for a moment before turning back to her and nodding his head in agreement. "Thank you."

"I'm going to go get some breakfast." Felicity said as she turned to her Team, knowing that Moira and Oliver would need some privacy from the look on the older woman's face. "Anyone want to join me? Oliver said he'd come down later." Felicity told the rest of the Team as she moved to the stairs. She was pleased to see that Roy and Sara took the hint and followed her. She looked back one last time before descending the stairs and saw Moira take in a deep breath, as though she were preparing herself for some extremely challenging task, before she turned to follow Diggle into Oliver's room, closing the door behind her. She turned and walked down the rest of the stairs hoping that this discussion would go well, for both of their sakes.

Diggle was sure that the reason Moira wanted to join him was so that she could assess Oliver's injuries for herself. He was aware of the fact that Moira had talked to Walter, not to mention himself, about the injuries and apparently that only fueled her need to know. Diggle had checked with Oliver first to see if the younger man was okay with his mom joining them as he redressed those of Oliver's wounds that required it and could see the brief play of emotions across his face. Oliver clearly wasn't pleased with the prospect of Moira seeing him as vulnerable as he currently was, however, Oliver apparently came to the same conclusion that he had, she was not going to give up until she knew for herself how bad Oliver's injuries were.

Moira followed Diggle into Oliver's room and was slightly surprised that her son had yet to get out of bed. She found herself wondering if he simply hadn't gotten up yet as it was still early, or if he was in too much pain to move on his own. As she watched him slowly stand she realized that it was probably a bit of both. He was moving quite slowly and didn't have the same grace in his steps that he usually had. Once he was seated on a stool, she assumed to make it easier for Diggle to have access to both his back and chest wounds, she walked over to him and gently touched his left shoulder, just above his dragon tattoo.

"Good morning Oliver." Moira said with a forced smile. She could see that a large amount of his upper body was covered in bandages and the sight made her heart sink.

"Mom." Oliver replied with a smile, however his happiness faded as he took in the look of worry on his mom's face. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Oliver, I need to see." Moira said simply. At the questioning look from Oliver she continued. "Our family has a bad habit of keeping secrets." Moira said as walked a few steps away before turning back to look at her son. "That needs to change. Secrets are what's been tearing our family apart for years. Oliver..." She walked back to where Oliver sat and placed a hand gently on his cheek. "...I need to see what that man did to you. I need to know how much pain you are really in. Please!"

Oliver studied his mom for a moment. It was apparent that she was struggling with what had happened still and that it was eating her up not knowing just how badly he had been hurt. However, she was right, secrets  _had_ torn his family apart. He decided that no matter how difficult this was for them, in all reality this really was a simple thing to be completely honest about.  _And how can I deny her this if it helps put her mind at ease and allows her to move on._  He thought to himself. He took a deep breath before he nodded his head and turned to Diggle.

"Go ahead Digg." Oliver said to him quietly. Diggle knew how hard this was for Oliver.  _The kid never wants to show people his wounds and_ _scars, not unless he has to._  Diggle thought as he moved behind Oliver and began to slowly remove the bandages on the other man's back. As he did so Moira stayed at her place in front of Oliver. It seemed that they were drawing strength from each other for once.

Moira stood in front of Oliver, gently holding his face in her hands, as Diggle removed the bandages from her son's back. She had chosen to wait until the other man was finished removing the bandages before she would then move around to look at Oliver's back. Oliver sat quietly, unmoving, as Diggle worked and she saw, yet again, the complete determination and strength that was now such a prominent part of Oliver.  _ **  
**_

Once Diggle finished removing the bandages that covered Oliver's back he looked up at Moira, letting her know that he was finished, before stepping back and moving over to the supplies to prepare what he would need to redress Oliver's wounds. He tried to tune out what was going on between mother and son, however the scene that unfolded before him was one that held his attention completely, even if he was careful to seem unaware of what was happening.

Moira caught the look that Diggle gave her, letting her know that he was done removing the bandages. She released Oliver's face and again placed a hand gently on his left shoulder, the only place that she could tell wasn't injured badly, in order to not only keep physical contact with her son but to steady herself as well. She slowly walked around Oliver, noting that he hung his head slightly as she moved around behind him, to look at the damage to her son's back. She was totally unprepared for the sight before her and a small gasp escaped before she placed her hand to her mouth to muffle the quiet cries that were trying to escape.

Moira couldn't believe the sight before her eyes. Diggle had told her that Oliver was fine... he clearly wasn't. Even Walter's description of Oliver's back as 'quite gruesome' had not prepared her adequately for what she now saw. She could see the layers upon layers of cuts across Oliver's back which was covered in black and blue bruising. Some of the cuts, as Walter had said, had been stitched and as Moira looked at the pattern of those stitches she thought that it looked like they were holding entire patches of his skin together.  _If those stitches weren't there would his skin be hanging loose?_  She thought to herself as she had to work to keep from reaching out and touching Oliver's back.

"Oliver." Moira whispered. All the emotions that she was feeling were evident in her voice as well and Oliver suddenly stood and faced his mom as she spoke. "My beautiful boy." Oliver reached up and wiped away the tears that were now streaming down his mom's face.

"Mom. I'm fine." Oliver said, trying to gain her attention. He could see that she was struggling with everything and he suddenly wished that he had denied her the chance to see his back. However, he also knew that her seeing what had happened would provide her with some closure as she would no longer have to wonder about his injuries.

"There's a big difference you know." Moira said in a quiet whisper, almost as if to herself. At the questioning look from Oliver she explained what she meant. "There's a big difference between being told about something and seeing it for yourself. Walter told me about your back, and I imagined all sorts of things, but nothing I could imagine compares with the reality of seeing it for myself. You must be in so much pain."

Oliver pulled his mother into a tight hug. "I'm going to be fine mom." He said as he pulled back after a couple of minutes. "When I was on the Island I didn't have anyone to help me when I was injured. I had to rely on myself and a few little herbs that were available. But I'm not on the Island anymore. There are modern medicines, medical supplies to help me. But mostly I have my Team, my friends, who know how to patch me up when I'm hurt, and how to help me work through my pain. Most importantly though I have my family. You, Walter, and Thea, to help me stay strong and heal. I know I'll be fine because there are too many people under this roof right now who would kill me themselves if I didn't recover." Oliver finished with a bit of a laugh.  _ **  
**_

Moira couldn't help but laugh at Oliver's comment. "You're probably right." She said, finally managing a smile. "I'm glad you're alright. You're not in too much pain?" She asked, needing to know the answer to this one final question before she could leave him.

"I am in pain." Oliver told her honestly after taking a deep breath. "But that will fade in time. You don't have to worry about me mom, I'm in good hands."

Moira nodded as she looked at Diggle, ready to redress the wounds on Oliver's back. She gave him a brief smile before turning one last time to Oliver.

"You're right Oliver. I'm glad you have friends who look out for you as well as your Team does. Don't ever let them go." Moira said with all sincerity. She offered Oliver one last smile before she turned and left his room, reminding him on her way out the door that Felicity was waiting for him. She smiled to herself as she realized that not only did Oliver have a good Team, good friends, but he had quite a remarkable woman looking out for him as well.

* * *

_**Four Months Later** _

Roy walked tiredly up to the front door of his house. It had been a long week of crime fighting. Thankfully Oliver had fully healed from his injuries inflicted by Malcolm Merlyn and Slade Wilson meaning that the Team was once again at full crime fighting capacity. However, that didn't change the fact that they had had several long nights this week breaking up a gang dispute. He was hungry, tired, and in dire need of a nice, long, hot shower. He pulled his key from his pocket and unlocked his front door, flipping on the lights as he walked into his house. Locking his door back behind him he dropped his duffel bag on the floor just inside the door and walked to his kitchen, feet dragging with exhaustion.

"Hello Roy."

Roy stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the voice in his house, his body immediately on high alert. There was only one person in his life that had that voice, and he was supposed to be dead. He turned to face the man sitting on his bed.

"Well, aren't you going to welcome me home...Son?"

* * *

It had been four months since they escaped from the clutches of Slade Wilson. The Team had been kept fairly busy with a gang dispute that broke out and things were just now starting to calm down again. Felicity sat at her desk in the lair, supposedly working, instead she was watching Oliver on the Salmon Ladder, again. His body had finally healed from all of the wounds that Malcolm and Slade had given him and in her eyes he had never looked better. He did have new scars mixed in with the old ones. The cuts on his chest had simply been inflicted over previous scars so even though they were fresh scars they simply replaced old ones. The scars that most often drew her attention though were the ones on his back, from where Slade had brutally whipped him. The wounds had healed, leaving in their place a myriad of faded white lines where his back had been laid open with the whip, patches of thick silver wedges in places where the lashes had crossed. He was still a handsome man, nothing could change that, he simply held new marks. Marks that continually reminded her of just how strong he really was and that he would always fight back.  _ **  
**_

Felicity watched as Oliver smoothly transitioned from the Salmon Ladder to the beams overhead, moving into inverted crunches. He smiled at her as he caught her watching him and she returned the smile just as genuinely. She truly did love this man! She looked around then to the rest of the Team, all except Roy who had gone home for a shower and some sleep. Sara and Diggle were sparring on the mats not far away. This place would always be home to her now and she couldn't think of a better place to be.

She looked once more to her Archer above her before then looking down to her left hand and she couldn't stop the huge smile that crossed her face as she looked at her emerald. Felicity was indeed a very happy woman!


End file.
